Wet Sands
by staceleo
Summary: A mother's need to protect her children from sacrifice. Love awakening the cold, dead heart of a monster. A band of misfits attempting to stop an evil curse. What happens when dreams become twisted and nightmares become salvation.
1. Chapter 1

**AN: This came to me in a dream and wouldn't leave me alone.**

**HEA. Also, I never follow any rules. Just enjoy the ride.**

**Thanks to mauigirl60 for editing this for me!**

**Enjoy!**

Wet Sands

Chapter 1

Isabella "Bella" Black concentrated on the raindrops hitting the window that faced the beach near the motel.

She listened to the sounds of animated ducks frolicking on the television.

The breathing of her two little ones, as they tried to stay as quiet as mice, filled her ears. They were far too afraid to speak.

The mumblings of her manic husband, as he pored over an old book on the bed about legends of the tribe. She remembered hearing them in passing when she was a child and they'd terrified her.

In the dingy room, these sounds were keeping her in control, so she could figure out a plan of escape.

It was supposed to be a vacation to visit their families; but, instead, they'd been holed up in this hotel for three days.

_"You'll see Charlie when the time is right, Bella! It'll be a great surprise," Jacob explained. "It's too small for all of us."_

That was the explanation he gave the first time she'd asked why they couldn't have stayed at her father's home.

The second time she'd had suggested staying with her father instead of the dirty dungeon of a room, Jacob had punched Bella in the face. The bruise was a shining example of how out of control the situation had become.

That was bad. Very, very bad, indeed.

She was not normally the victim, so she had to think about plotting an escape.

"Blood," Jacob mumbled. The word made Bella's head jerk toward her husband. He started mumbling as he stared at the children. That's when fear paralyzed every inch of her muscles and bile rose up into her throat. This trip was terribly wrong.

They'd been best friends since diapers. This beach was the same one that their parents had placed Bella and Jacob side-by-side with their plastic buckets and shovels. Giggling and happy, the duo created castles by the sea decorated with shells. Those memories had been tarnished by the past weeks.

She needed to get to her dad. She breathed in deeply to settle her nerves. There was no way to get the car keys. They hadn't left the front pocket of his jeans. He hadn't changed clothes since they'd arrived, either, and the smell was rotten.

Little Jason started weeping silently, as Sarah wrapped her arms around her brother. Three-year-old boys shouldn't be so afraid and six-year-old girls shouldn't have to be so brave.

"Goddamn it!" Jacob smacked his hand down on the table next to his book, making everyone jump. "It _has_ to work! Fucking Sam!"

He started texting on his phone. It had to be Sam. His phone calls had been the start of Jacob's descent into insanity.

_"Dude, it's not going to hap..." Jacob paced around the living room, his face tight with worry. He listened for a few minutes. "They're my..._

_Bella stood in the doorway listening, holding the beer Jacob had asked for. "Honey? You still want this?" _

_He looked over at her, his eyes turning dark with rage. "What the fuck are you doing listening to my calls?" _

_She held up the beer with wide eyes. "You asked me for this!"_

_He looked shocked. "Oh, babe, shit! I'm sorry. Thanks. Just leave it on the coffee table."_

_Bella looked at him as he returned to his conversation. For the first time, she was afraid of her husband._

That was the beginning of Jacob's personality change. He wanted his meat rare and would eat nothing else. He hadn't slept. Not really, since they'd left Pennsylvania. If Jake would only sleep, Bella would have a chance to escape.

Would lack of sleep cause insanity?

Charlie would know what to do. Her father could get them help.

"Mama, I'm hungry," Jason whispered.

Their meals had been few and far between. A breakfast of packaged peanut butter crackers wasn't going to cut it for two growing children.

"Shut him the fuck up!" Jacob yelled, grabbing the little boy by the scruff of his neck and shaking him. "Why do you keep whining!"

Bella jumped out of her chair and pulled Jason away, holding the child tightly. "Stop it, Jacob! He's your son!"

He glared at them. "He doesn't need to eat!"

"Jake!" Bella looked at him with dread. He was going to kill them. She knew it. "Please!"

Her plea meant more than just food. She was hoping he would come to his senses…that he'd remember he loved them. He'd be _her_ Jake again.

"Shut the fuck up, bitch!" he screamed in Bella's face.

He would never be the same again.

Sarah cried softly behind her.

Bella needed to get out of there with them right that very minute, before he snapped.

"Jake, honey, let me take the kids to that little burger shack on the beach. Please." Bella hated begging, but she was left with no other options. "They'll be good if they get something to eat."

_They'll be safe if their previously-doting daddy wasn't such an asshole, _she thought.

"You'll run with them. I need them," he snarled.

Bella was certain that he didn't mean that in a loving way. She was terrified about the real reason he wanted his children around.

"You know me, Jake! We've been together since we were babies! I would never!"

She was lying to him. He knew her as well as she knew him, which wasn't much at all. This man in front of her was a monster inside her husband's body.

"Fine!" Jacob spat. "I'll be watching from the window."

_Help. I can get help._

"Sarah, baby, put on your shoes," Bella directed her daughter, as she dressed Jason in his rain gear.

"It's pouring, Mommy," Sarah quietly pointed out, eyeing her father warily.

Bella ushered them out the door, grabbing her coat. "It'll be okay. We'll be okay."

"Don't try anything stupid. You know what'll happen when I get angry," Jacob warned Bella. She shivered at his words.

Bella knew for certain she'd kill Jacob before he touched a hair on either Sarah or Jason's head. That was a promise.

XXXXXX

The air was cold, but the rain had decreased to a drizzle. It was a small blessing, but a blessing nevertheless.

The children remained mute about their difficulty with trudging through the wet sand in their galoshes. They'd get their little feet stuck and lift their hands up to be helped.

Bella helped them wordlessly, as the sea breeze and drizzle kissed her face.

The dark waves were rough and the gray skies set the appropriate mood for Bella's thoughts. If only they were able to turn into mermaids and dive deep into the ocean to safety.

She smiled sadly at her flights of fancy. Bella had been a child with her head in the clouds who believed in otherworldly things. The real world was horrible now, and dreaming of mystical creatures was far better than weeping over the real-life monster she was married to. She felt Sarah tugging on her sleeve.

"I wish we could turn into butterflies and fly away from here, Mommy."

The little girl most surely took after her mother.

They reached the stand and Bella glanced over toward the motel. She knew that Jacob was watching her every move.

"Hi. We need an order of chicken tenders and fries. Umm...grilled cheese and more fries, I guess. A cheeseburger..." Bella was fumbling in her pockets to find some money, but came up empty. "Oh shit! I... I..."

She couldn't go back and ask Jacob for money. Bella wiped away her tears.

"She'll take onion rings with the burger. A Coke and two juice boxes," a musical voice interrupted. Bella turned to see a slight and beautiful woman with the most unusual gold eyes smiling at her. Her dark hair was a stylish mess. "I've got this. Your children look hungry."

"Thank you. I forgot to bring money... "Bella trailed off tearfully, grabbing the woman's hands. They were frozen. Bella dropped them. "I'm sorry! That was very forward of me and..."

"Are you okay?" the woman asked, as she handed the boy at the counter money. She waved at him to keep the change.

Bella didn't know what possessed her to confide in this stranger and not a police officer. "No."

"No, you really aren't, are you?" The woman traced Bella's bruise with one of her cold fingers. Suddenly, her face grew tense. "I need to go! Will you still be here tomorrow?"

"I think so." Bella wanted to run away with the stranger. It made no sense as to why.

The woman smiled down at Bella and the children. "I'll help you! Just let me get some things worked out."

The woman ran off and Bella watched her, finally feeling a glimmer of hope.

They sat at a bench, the wetness seeping through their pants. Bella watched as the children devoured their foods like small beasts. Their hunger was finally being sated. Bella tried to swallow down her food. She would need the strength to run.

She looked out toward the horizon at the water lapping the sand. There stood a man, his jeans rolled up and wearing only a black t-shirt. His feet were in the water. It was far too chilly, but he looked comfortable enough.

His head turned away from the sky and he looked right at her. His ruddy hair was tossed by the wind and he had the face of an angel. Bella was transfixed. Then, she noticed his eyes. They were as red as a freshly-picked apple.

She rubbed her eyes. It must have been the dark sky combined with her exhaustion.

Looking back at him, Bella wished for the happier times she used to enjoy with Jacob; his sweet kisses every morning when they woke up. The way he would tickle the children making them laugh with joy; the way his touch was so very gentle when they used to make love. That had been so long ago and there she sat, admiring a mysterious man on the beach.

As if he could read her mind, the man waved, a lopsided smile upon his lips. Bella waved back.

"Do you know him, Mommy?" Sarah asked solemnly.

"No, baby."

Her fickle heart wished she did, but her mind told her to be afraid. Very afraid.


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: Here you go.**

**Thank you to my beta, mauigirl60!**

**Enjoy!**

Chapter 2

Bella woke to sunny skies streaming into the hotel room. Its rays made the children's faces glow as they cuddled on each side of her.

Jacob was smiling down at them, his chocolate eyes dancing, causing her to shudder.

"Get up, sleepyheads, we have a big day ahead of us." He pointed to a table laden with odds and ends from a bakery. "I have coffee for you, my lady."

It was like the old days. She didn't trust this shiny, happy Jacob one bit. Who was this Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde?

"Oh, thanks." She was still trying to come up with a way to escape. Bella wished she could trust that the lovely young woman would come here with a police force rescue party. The problem with Bella's wishes was that they never came true.

The children slowly woke up. Their eyes were bright with the promise of a new day, but faded quickly as they noticed the donuts their smiling father was holding. Her babies were good judges of character and even donuts sprinkled with pieces of candy happiness wouldn't ease their nerves.

He pulled her up from the bed swiftly. "Let's go, let's go! Time's wasting away!"

Another change was in the air and Bella didn't like it one bit. Things were about to get a whole lot worse.

XXXXXXX

They spent the day in the small town, dragged into gift shops and tiny cafés. Bella's eyes took in the smiling tourists ferrying their broods down the boardwalk. The parents were holding hands, smiles on their faces as they watched their children frolic.

She watched as Jason and Sarah forlornly took in the scene.

"Bella, the kids need new friends!" Jacob grabbed her hand in his; the action, which would have been one of comfort just a few months ago, felt like a trap. His sweaty palms felt revolting. He started pulling her and the children toward a toy store. "Let's get them stuffed animals. An elephant for Jay and..."

Bella couldn't really comprehend a word he was saying, as her mind whirled at the insanity. In the section containing the brightly-hued menagerie of creatures, both real and imaginary, Jacob tossed them around the aisle, searching. He was a man possessed.

"Jacob..."

"Hold on..." He pulled out a realistic-looking elephant. Its plushy form was shoved into Jason's arms, the little boy clinging to it. "Just let me find one more for Sarah."

More rummaging ensued, and a turtle hit Bella in the stomach. She pulled the children closer to her as she tried catching the eye of the shopkeeper. If he could just call the police department, Charlie could pick them up.

Jacob grabbed her arm, tugging her toward him. He hissed, "I have a gun in my waistband. Get that guy's attention and I'll blow his brains out, got it?"

Bile rose in Bella's throat. They needed to run.

A sick smile played on his lips, as he glanced down and pulled out a stuffed fawn. "Sarah, this is yours."

"I like the fairy, Daddy," Sarah squeaked. She held out a small fairy doll.

He grabbed it and threw it back on the shelf. "That's not your fucking spirit animal! Just do what I say and have a good day!"

Bella heard the finality in his voice. He was going to kill them all.

Two hours later, Bella was certain that in Jacob's delusional mind, he thought he was giving the children the perfect last day.

He'd been trying to feed them their favorite foods, but fear doused their appetites. A small nibble here and there was all the children could manage.

Sticky pink was dripping down their hands from barely-touched ice cream cones as they all stood in front of an antique store. Jacob pointed at the door. "I want to get you something, Bells. A token for the gifts you bequeathed to me."

He looked at the children with a smirk, as his phone rang. Bella watched him answer with a stoic expression. Sam.

Reaching into his pocket, Jacob pulled out a wad of cash, tossed it at Bella, and pointed to the door. She tried to take the children's hands but Jacob shook his head.

"Hold on, Sam. The kids stay here. Go get some earrings." He made his hand look like a gun and pointed it at Sarah's head.

Bella's eyes widened and she turned, stumbling into the shop. She was going to have to kill him.

She peeked at the window and observed Sarah and Jason were now sitting on a bench. The ice cream continued to melt all over their t-shirts. Jacob was yelling on the phone.

There wasn't much time. She rummaged through the bin that contained pocket knives. One stood out, i's ivory hilt brightly shining from the dull colors of its companions, as her mind went over all the instructions Charlie taught her about self-defense. This one was able to cause some damage.

Bella took another glance outside to see Jacob looking through the window. She needed to find his toxic gift quickly. A bracelet with onyx stones that reminded her of crow's eyes was on the counter. She grabbed it and noticed a tarnished copper lighter sitting next to it. It would normally be an object that Bella would overlook. She never smoked and never had any inclination to but, for some reason, it called to her. There was an illustration of a Phoenix etched into the metal. This might be her spirit guide, because she knew that she was going to kill her husband or die trying. If she survived this hell, Bella knew she would emerge something entirely new.

She threw the lighter onto the pile.

Jacob was finished with his call and watched her as she exited.

There was a new spring in her step, as she felt the knife and lighter rubbing against her skin from where they were tucked into her waistband.

"What did you get?" he asked, as she handed him his change. He looked interested, much to her surprise. She held out her wrist to him with a blank expression. He eyed it somberly. "I would think you'd have chosen something brighter."

"It called to me." It was dark like the fire in her soul. She was going to be rid of Jacob Black for her children's sakes. That was a promise.

XXXXXX

Bella found herself on the beach that night. A series of tiki torches were lit to make a path toward the water. Her two sleepy children clung to her, as their yawns filled the air. She gently touched the pocket of the forest green dress she'd chosen to wear for the mere fact that it hid her new acquisitions.

Jacob had made them dress up for an expensive dinner at a popular seafood restaurant in town. He ate heartily, while they watched him warily.

He meant it to be their last supper, and she hated him for it.

Afterwards, he dragged them to an isolated beach close to the woods. Bella remembered playing there when she was about Sarah's age. The contrast between the dark, deep woods and the open sky touching the water of the beach consumed her as she waded in to collect shells. She would just stare and imagine what was hidden beneath the waves and behind the thick trunks of the tree.

Tonight, the moon created a glow over a large rock, which made Bella think of the sacrificial altars she'd studied during her short stint as an archeology major, before she'd gotten pregnant with Sarah.

Jacob was looking over the water somberly.

Suddenly, she noticed the large blade on the top of the rock. She walked slowly over to it, her hands tightly gripping the children's. Her fingers brushed against the metal that looked dented, but was sharp enough to quickly slice through soft flesh.

That was how they were going to die.

"Jacob, when were you going to tell me that you were planning on gutting us like fish today?" She clung to the children, not watching her words around them. Sarah whimpered and Jason looked at her in confusion. She pulled him into her arms and grabbed the knife.

"Mommy?" Jason asked, one of his small hands holding hers tightly, as the other held the elephant.

Jacob held out his hand. "Give me the knife, baby. This has to be done."

"No!" She stumbled through the sand backwards and flipped off her shoes. The wet pieces of sand went between her toes, but it would be easier to run without them. "Stay behind me, Sarah! Reach into Mommy's pocket, honey!"

Bella could feel her girl removing the knife.

"Mommy, what do..." She held tightly to Bella's skirt.

Bella glanced down. "Protect yourself and your brother."

"Baby, I get to be chief!" Jacob said excitedly. "There needs to be a ceremony first."

"A sacrifice," she corrected him, eyeing the rock.

Jacob shrugged. "I guess you could say that. I need you to understand that I love you all, but I married outside the tribe. Leah Clearwater is my imprint, so I need to be joined with her sexually."

"You want a divorce? You got it, buddy!" Bella kept moving back toward the woods. "The kids and I can go to my dad's and you can sexually be with Leah Clearwater to your little heart's content."

"Our god won't allow it! He needs the children, so the wolves can enter us to shift at will." He looked at her, his eyes tearing up. "I was hoping to keep you alive, but you'll be food for the tribe after the transformation."

Bella's heart was beating like a thunderstorm inside her chest.

Only one thing was keeping her from fainting. Her mind was chanting:

_Must save the children! _

_Must save the children!_

_Must save the children!_

"You're insane!" Bella screamed.

Jason was crying, but Sarah was as calm as a shallow pond. She stared at her father, a determined look on her face. She was refusing to go down without a fight, just like her mother.

Sarah said quietly, "No matter what, I'll be with you and Jay in heaven, Mommy."

Her daughter was so very brave.

"No, you won't, kiddo, Unuck will be feasting on your soul," a voice stated. Bella turned around to see Sam, surrounded by four tribe members and Leah. "Hey, Bell. Sorry about all this, but you know our tradition."

Leah wrapped her arms around Jacob and kissed him. Bella wanted them both dead. "Why is the wife still alive?"

Jacob looked sadly at Bella. He still loved her, but power was far more important to him than his family. "Soon. The moon needs to be in the right position."

Bella kept moving the children back.

Sam approached Bella. "Give me the knife, lay the little guy on the rock and give him a kiss bye-bye."

He reached for Bella, making her stumble backward.

A scream pierced through the air, as Sarah rammed the pocket knife into Sam's gut. He fell over, face first, onto the ground.

"Leave us alone!" She pulled the knife out and dodged Sam who was trying to grab her leg. Sarah grabbed her mother and they all moved away as the rest of the pack moved toward them.

"Sarah, that's not what good little girls do!" Jake screamed. He was trembling.

"Good daddies don't hurt their kids!" she yelled back.

Bella glared at Jacob. "It's over, Jake! You're as good as dead!"

"Who's gonna help you, Bells? You're screwed!" He paused and sniffed the air. He looked at his old buddy, Quil. "Fuck! Do you smell that?"

"Fucking leeches!" Quil spat, as he began trembling.

The whole group was shaking, even the injured Sam. Their muscles were spasming and Bella watched as Jacob started scratching at his skin.

_What the hell was happening?_

"Well, howdy, puppies!" A blond man lazily walked up. His curls bounced as he moved. The man was as beautiful as a Renaissance painting. "We eating babies today?"

Another man jogged up behind him, a little smirk on his face, the beautiful man from the beach. His wild red hair was moving with the slight breeze that had picked up. Maybe he'd be their savior? "Now, Jazz, stop messing with the damned wolves. Maybe they want to play fetch? Hey there, pretty mama. You smell delicious."

He looked at her and her insides flashed warm and then cold. His eyes were as crimson as blood and she could see his sharp teeth as he licked his lips in her direction.

They were surrounded by monsters.

"You need to leave!" Jacob roared. Bella watched as his skin started bubbling up and hair sprouted from it. His nose was morphing into a snout. It was terrifying.

Jason screamed.

"Jesus, girl, shut that kid up! You're lucky the little bugger smells mighty unappetizing!" the blond one announced, as he looked at Sam's blood pooling in the sand. "Edward, I hate me some doggy blood. The mama, however..."

"…is mine," the beautiful one snarled, turning and holding a hand out to grasp Bella's arm.

Fear coursed through Bella;it was her new constant.

Jacob growled as he quickly completed the change from man to snarling beast. The rest of Jacob's friends, including Leah, changed with him and rushed at the strangers.

Jacob leapt onto the man and, without thinking, Bella plunged the knife into her husband's back.

The man, Edward, looked at her with a strange expression that had morphed into gratitude. Bella pulled the knife from Jacob's back. She was keeping it.

"Sarah! Run!" Bella gave one final glance at the man who had a new wolf after him, clutched Jason tighter and ran with Sarah toward the woods. The sand was flying up and hitting her ankles.

She prayed the woods would bring salvation.

She prayed that that her children would be safe.

She prayed for this nightmare to be over.


	3. Chapter 3

**AN: Thank you all for reading!**

**A big thank you to mauigirl60 for all her help on this chapter!**

**Enjoy!**

Chapter 3

The woods in these parts were lush with foliage of dense greens that, in the dark, seemed blackened and all the more ominous. As the sunlight made the path clear, the night sky made the leaves seem like barriers to an impenetrable maze. When Bella stepped onto the ground, the weeds felt like they were reaching up to trap her ankles. She had one arm holding Jason tightly, while trying to pull Sarah out of the tangles of thorns that were impeding their escape.

The howls in the distance filled her with dread, a chorus of monsters. A part of her wondered if they had killed the beautiful but terrifying men. A part of her didn't give a shit if it meant she could keep her children alive.

They continued their journey, as Jason sniffed loudly and wiped his nose on Bella's shirt. She almost warned Sarah to watch out for ticks and poison ivy. That was silly, really. There was something more deadly trying to eat her children and she'd rather deal with itchy skin ailments than the alternative. Death.

"Momma! Momma! Momma!" Jason wailed into Bella's neck as his tears soaked her.

"Shush, baby," she implored, patting his back. She needed to keep moving and the little boy needed to be quiet.

Sarah dug her fingers into her mother's hand. "Quiet, Jason! Daddy's gonna eat us!"

"Sarah, stop it!" Bella kept pulling them, as Jason cried louder.

_Fuckety fuck! _Bella thought. The sounds from the beasts echoed like loud whining through the darkness.

The stars had started to shine through the sky, Bella noticed as she looked upward. The moon wasn't so bright. She could only hope that Jacob had missed his window of opportunity to get whatever benefit he would from hurting them, but she didn't doubt he would try to get his revenge.

They continued forward.

It could have been hours, but more likely minutes. They were all exhausted. The rush of adrenaline was fading quickly. Sarah quietly remarked, "I wish I could go to sleep, Mommy."

Bella noticed a grouping of trees, high branches caressing the sky surrounded by wispy, tall grasses that were reminiscent of pictures of her maternal grandmother's flaxen hair. She moved the children toward them and settled them onto the ground.

"Lay down for a minute," she whispered, as she situated herself between them. Jason and Sarah's heads rested on her chest. Her fingers started running through the dark hair on their heads. Their coloring was so much like their father, but they resembled the Swans. "Rest your eyes for a minute and then we'll head to Grandpa's."

Bella didn't mean to close her eyes but as she drifted off, the wolves' howls were still so very far away. It was far enough that for a minute she felt safe, as red eyes watched from a distance.

XXXXXX

"Edward, don'tcha think this is the sweetest thang you ever did see? A mama and her babies all cuddled up in the forest?" Bella rubbed her eyes and looked up to see the men from the night before staring down at her. The sun behind their heads made them look like angels with a heavenly glow surrounding them; however, they were anything but. Her heart beat rapidly; last night hadn't been a nightmare, but a terrifying reality. The blond one continued speaking with a grin. "In looks only, because only you smell sweet though, mama. Those babies reek something fierce."

Edward gave his friend a withering look. "Stop taunting her, Jasper."

"I forgot that ya hate playing with your food, brother." Jasper gave Bella a wink, as she clutched the rousing children to her. "Ed here is a tidy boy. He just dives in with a wham, bam, thank you, ma'am."

"Jasper!" Edward hissed.

He looked at Edward with a frown. "Don't get attached, because you can't hear her, boy."

Bella stood up awkwardly, pulling the sleepy children up with her. She held tightly to them. She took a deep breath and stepped in front in an attempt to shield them. Tiny hands clung to her waist.

"Just let us walk out of here, all right?" Bella looked around behind them. The daylight had revealed a meadow full of wildflowers. Little lilac buds mingled with delicate, white daisies on the ground, creating a beautiful carpet of blooms. She could almost imagine Sarah collecting them and forcing Jason into wearing daisy chains. It was too beautiful a setting for these men.

Jasper flashed his sharp canines. "I don't think so, honey."

"What the hell are you?" Bella gasped. Her eyes searched for a place to run. "Are you werewolves like Jake?"

"No. We are certainly not. Actually, we helped distract them for you to get away with your little girl's help." Edward gave her a seemingly gentle smile, which she wished she could trust and knew she shouldn't. He reached out his hand toward Bella. "Come with us."

Bella inched herself and the children toward the meadow. Could she run fast enough carrying them both? They were tall children and their size would make it awkward, but she had to try.

"I need to get to my father's house," Bella said. Their bodies were away from the trees and they were now positioned in the sun. She reached back and, with a grunt, pulled Jason into her arms.

Edward followed them into the sun and Bella's eyes widened at the sight before her. He was shimmering like the light reflecting off the lake. It was a beautiful sight and she couldn't take her eyes off him.

"Mommy, are they angels?" Sarah asked, her gaze fixated on the man before her, just like her mother.

Jasper started chuckling and followed Edward out into the bright light. "Aww sweetheart, ain't you the cutest, stinkiest li'l thang? Angels? You better start prayin' angels are actually hearin' all this."

"Jasper, stop scaring the children. I have a feeling that Mrs...what's your name, my dear?" He smiled at her again. What kind of shimmering villain _was_ he?

"What _are_ you?" Bella asked, angrily.

"A vampire," Edward announced, shrugging. "A vampire that wants to know your name and I suggest that you tell me. I would hate to get mad."

He flashed his knife-shaped incisors.

"Bella Bla... Bella Swan," she whispered.

"Jesus, Mary and Joseph, you stupid ass!" Jasper complained. "They're just luncheon meat!"

Edward grabbed Jasper by the neck and slammed his body into a tree, which made a cracking noise as it broke into pieces. "She's different!"

The two men stared into each other's eyes in what Bella could only describe as a battle of wills. She was certain they were distracted so she started running, Sarah and Jason clutched tightly to her body. It was cumbersome, but she was a woman possessed with living to see another day.

There was a _whoosh_ and then Bella landed face-first into the dirt. She looked up to find Jasper holding Jason by the neck of his shirt. Her little boy cried, "Momma, come get me! Momma, please!"

She jumped up onto her feet and Edward grabbed her arm. He was holding onto Sarah with his other hand.

"Aww darlin', the little cowboy wants his mama!" Jasper crooned. "Will you be a good little girl or do I snap his neck?"

"I would do as he says," Edward said, as he ran his nose against her neck.

Inspiration will strike sometimes at the most important moments - those that led to life or death. Bella's fingers grazed her pocket and felt the Phoenix from the lighter pinch her fingertips through the fabric. Gently, she pulled it out and, her eyes never leaving Jason, flicked it open.

The flame danced in its warm yellows, oranges and reds as Bella pushed it toward Edward's face. He growled like a jungle beast and pulled away. "Is this your goal, Mister? You want me to flambé your sparkly buddy?"

"Bella Swan, think about what you're doing!" Edward tried to keep her gaze.

"Fuck you! Let Sarah go!" Bella watched as Edward dropped Sarah's arm. She pointed her lighter next toward Jasper. "Your turn now!"

"I can break his delicate neck," Jasper pointed out.

Bella smiled as she watched Jasper staring at the flames. "I can make you into a bonfire to roast marshmallows."

Edward walked tentatively toward Bella, both hands up in supplication. "It seems my little lamb is actually a lioness."

"I'm none of your business." Bella motioned toward Jasper. "Let him go!"

"You don't tell me what to do, girl!" Jasper snarled.

"That's my job, husband," a tiny voice called from the limbs of an old oak tree. "Let that little cutie down and give him back to his mother."

Bella glanced up to see a lovely girl with short black hair sitting cross-legged in the branches. There was a bouncy feeling of joy that seemed to radiate off her open and kind face.

"Alice, I'm hungry and not interested in your vegetation bullshit," Jasper sneered.

"You'll come around! I'm always right!" She jumped down from the tree. "Esme!"

If so many bizarre events hadn't happened recently, Bella wouldn't have believed her eyes when a trio people just appeared in the blink of an eye. Two were strangers. A woman with golden hair resembling Aphrodite held hands with a large grizzly bear of a man, who looked gleefully all around him, followed by the stranger who'd come to Bella's assistance earlier on the beach. They, along with the buoyant girl from the tree, all had eyes the shade of the goldenrods which littered the meadow at their feet.

The chestnut waves of her hair floated lazily in the breeze, as she put her hands on her hips. The woman was frowning at the men. "Boys, I think you need to let this nice family come with us."

"Aww Mama Esme, why ruin all our fun?" Jasper asked the kind woman, as he shook Jason like a rag doll, making the child whimper. "Carl wants them gone."

"Stop it, Jazz!" yelled the dark-haired girl.

He just grinned cheekily and blew her a kiss.

"Edward, what is this all about? Where is Carlisle?" hissed the woman known as Esme.

"He wants them dead. Caius is nervous about the wolf situation. The prophecy needs to be avoided at all costs. You know this, Esme." Edward stared at Bella. Sarah clung to her mother's waist and her eyes darted nervously to her brother. "Carlisle's going to check and make sure the job is done."

"It would have been done by now if Edward hadn't coddled the snacks," Jasper complained. "Alice, baby, you've been invaluable at getting us information."

Bella watched as Alice glared at him and then at Edward. She yelled,."Get out of my head!"

"Mommy..." Sarah tugged on Bella's sleeve and pointed to Jasper. He looked over at them and took hold of Jason's neck.

"No!" Bella screamed and ran toward the monster clutching her child. She'd barely taken a few steps when Edward grabbed her by the waist.

The big man rushed toward Jasper, shouting, "Fuck this! Rose!"

He barreled into the other man causing Jason to fly into the air. The blonde woman darted toward the boy and caught him. She pulled him close and cooed, "I got you, sweetheart. Alice!"

Before anyone could get to Sarah, Alice ran over and swung the child onto her back.

The big man threw Jasper into a tree with a chuckle. "Mess with kids your own size, Yosemite Sam! Let the little lady go, Ed."

"Emmett, I'll snap her in two first," Edward growled. His grip was so very tight that it was hard for Bella to breathe.

"Dude, come on now..." The big man moved slowly toward Edward.

Edward squeezed her so hard that Bella cried out. His lips grazed her ear.

Moving slowly toward Rosalie, Alice handed Sarah to Esme and said to Jasper, "I want you to come back..."

"No!" He growled at her, licking his lips. He approached the women like a cheetah stalking a herd of gazelles on the African plains. These men were feral and by the way Edward was holding her, Bella had given up all hope.

In an instant, Alice's eyes glazed open and she smiled. "It's going to be okay, Bella. We'll take care of Sarah and Jason."

Bella's mouthed dropped open. She'd never told them their names.

Edward smirked at Alice, his hands moving slowly over Bella's stomach. "I get Bella for the children, Alice? I thought you wanted to save her?"

"You see the same things I do," she stated, pointing to Bella. "I trust you to do the right thing with her."

Bella, without a doubt, felt that this monster was unable to do the right thing.

"Edward, what the hell are ya doin'? Carl said..." Jasper was being held at bay by Emmett, but it was apparent by the way he was eyeing the children that he was trying to figure out a way to snatch them.

"What do you say, pretty one?" Edward looked down at Bella. "Want to take a walk?"

She shivered in fear and an odd flicker of desire. That small emotion filled her with hate for the man, but Bella knew what she had to do.

"Take care of them for me. Keep them safe," she pleaded. "I love you both."

The tears and cries of the children filled the meadow but, to keep them safe, she needed to get the red-eyed vampires away.

"Good choice," Edward murmured, as he picked her up and cradled her body into his. "I'll be seeing you all very soon."

"Edward, please..." Esme started to say as she comforted Sarah.

"So many options, mother of us all." He gave her a wink and with a burst of speed, rocketed into the forest, Bella firmly in his grasp. Jasper followed quickly behind.

"Mine!" Edward nuzzled his face into her hair as he ran.

_Said the spider to the fly _was Bella's last thought before her mind shut down from the terror.


	4. Chapter 4

**AN: Thank you all for reading and to The Lemonade Stand for having it in the TLS Nursery.**

**Mauigirl60 made this chapter lovely. Many heartfelt thanks to her.**

**This story is dedicated to my husband, because he likes the scary stuff.**

Chapter 4

_Why wasn't I dead?_

_Oh, God, why aren't they killing me?_

_Where are my babies? _

These thoughts were on repeat in Bella's head as she was pulled though the forest. Edward's cold hand was holding tightly to hers.

The sun was lowering slowly, casting a pink, golden glow over the sky. Little, jetting onyx bats littered the sky. Bella glanced up and thought of how the vampires were in the air and the ones on the ground were pulling her through the woods.

"We don't turn into bats, Mrs. Black," Edward announced, interrupting her thoughts. "That was simply a myth manufactured by Mr. Stoker."

"I figured. Dracula doesn't sparkle," Bella said. Her temper was short and she was worried about her children. "Call me Bella. Mrs. Black was left behind on that beach. Bella Swan is the one who stabbed her furry husband in the back."

He chuckled at her, making Bella frown. "You _are_ a little tiger. What claws you have."

At first, Bella was astonished that he seemed impressed. She shouldn't have been surprised, she decided. He was a vampire, after all. They were blood-thirsty monsters. The other one, whom she'd internally started calling _Billy the Kid_, had zoomed off to find dinner. Bella was frightened to see what he'd be bringing back. She was certain it would have a pulse and a command of the English language.

"We need to go faster," Edward stated. He sniffed the air and wrinkled his nose in disgust. "They're getting close."

"Who?" Bella glanced around her.

"Your husband, the wolf, and his friends. They reek. Now, here's something that smells much nicer." Edward looked down and Bella's eyes followed to where he was staring. Her leg was dripping with blood, which looked like tiny streams running down her skin. She had felt the thorns piercing her skin, but didn't even think about what the aftermath would be. "Stand still. Very still."

Moving onto his knees, Edward lifted Bella's leg and placed it gently onto his thigh. She looked down and saw his long tongue snake out of his mouth and lick upward on the wounds. Bella swallowed thickly and willed her heart to stop beating so quickly. She didn't want to die.

"Calm down. You don't want me to enjoy this too much." He looked intently into her eyes and suctioned his mouth on another scratch.

"You're not killing me?"

"Not today, anyway. The wolves can smell your blood. I need to get your wounds to stop flowing." He returned to his task. The movements of his mouth were surprisingly soft.

"Oh."

He pulled away and Bella started moving back but, before she could move too far, he swung her up into his arms. It bordered on being intimate, like a groom carrying his bride over the threshold. Bella found it terrifying in so many ways to be held so tightly in his arms.

"What are you doing?" she yelled.

"Making you so much faster," he pointed out.

Then, Bella realized that they were leaving the violent southerner behind. "Your friend?"

"He knows where to find us." Edward started walking toward the setting sun on the horizon.

"Fuck!" Bella muttered, so softly that she hoped Edward didn't hear her. She needed to seem brave. Her mind, however, was betraying her. Visions of the blonde man's red eyes staring into her own brown ones, his bared teeth ripping into her neck...

Edward chuckled. He had heard her clear as a bell.

_That man has ears like a vampire bat_, she thought.

Her depressing gallows humor made Bella laugh maniacally, which then turned into a sob.

She had begun to feel hopeful that maybe Jasper would be gone. It was apparent that with only Edward, she had at least a glimmer of a chance of survival. That was now snuffed out like a barely flickering candle. She was certain if he were around she would never see her children again.

Their speed picked up significantly, as Bella clutched to his dark t-shirt. Leaves slapped Bella in the face as they traveled, making her wince. Edward continued on, barely noticing. He did notice the wetness pooling on the fabric of his shirt as they sped through the trees from the woman's tears.

Bella continued to cry, her handle on her sanity over the last few months finally breaking. She had to be so strong for Sarah and Jason as Jacob spiraled into madness and now she was being spirited through the trees by a blood-drinking fiend.

Before she knew it, Edward had lowered her gracefully onto the grass next to a log cabin. She wiped her still-leaking eyes and took in the view.

Night had not yet completely descended, so Bella could still see. It was old, but it appeared that the owners tried to put some pride into their home. A cheerful _Welcome to Our Home_ flag hung from the door. The rickety porch was in disrepair with the planks of wood lifting upward, but faded pillows decorated the swing that rocked slowly in the breeze. The stone chimney still had smoke rising from it.

Bella sniffed, "Is this place yours?"

"It is now."

"Whose was it before?" Bella didn't really want to know.

"They're in the backyard," he explained pointing to the backyard. He was so nonchalant.

Bella couldn't help herself. "Can I meet them?"

He pulled her up the stairs and into the house. It was homey with floral couches and family photographs. She almost tripped on the stuffed animals and blocks strewn around the floor. She picked up a photograph of a smiling family - a father with his arm around the mother and two small children beaming in front of them. The eldest child had gaping holes where baby teeth had fallen out. "I don't think they're in any state to meet anyone. You would need a shovel."

They were buried in the backyard. The picture frame slipped from her hands and crashed to the floor, glass shattering around her feet. Slipping down to her knees, Bella lost it. She started screaming and wailing. She could envision her own children lying on the floor, their throats ripped open and eyes opened wide but unseeing.

"Bella! Bella! Calm down!" He pulled her up and shook her gently.

"They were babies! Oh, my God! Sarah and Jason are going to die like those poor babies! Oh, God! Please, oh God!"

She was hysterical.

Edward clutched his head. The headaches had been getting progressively worse as they traveled and Bella's outburst was not easing his discomfort. He looked like he was about to strangle her to get her to shut up, but all of a sudden he felt calm and her distress filled him. He understood and her lovely, melancholy eyes made him want to weep.

He pulled her close. "We didn't kill them. The children. They weren't in the cabin. There were just two men, vagrants who had broken in."

Bella tried to calm down.

"Esme won't hurt your children. She's a mother to everyone; she'll protect them." He pulled her toward the couch and made her sit down. She was hyperventilating. "You need to stay calm."

Bella stared at the fireplace, its embers still burning. "Why? Why am I still alive?"

"I wish I knew," he admitted. "I just can't imagine you being dead."

He stroked her hair without thinking. Edward winced again at the drumming taking place in his cerebral cortex. He looked over at his fingers entwined in her auburn locks. Quickly, he moved his hand and stood. "I'll get you some water. There's a bedroom up those stairs. You need to get some rest."

Several minutes later, Bella was lying on a hard mattress, fast asleep. The day had taken its toll on her body and her soul.

XXXXXX

The boisterous, manly laughter woke Bella up first. The television was blasting the sounds of race cars. _What the hell was Jake doing having the guys watch NASCAR so loudly when the kids were asleep?_

Bella's eyes began to focus and then realization set in. This was not her tranquil bedroom in tones of light blue and rose, where she would escape to read and relax. This was a wooded prison where her captors were vampires, her husband a deadly werewolf out for her flesh.

Her dreams had been a blissful escape until she'd awakened to a living nightmare.

The noises were getting louder. Maybe whoever was down there could be her salvation? Maybe Edward had left? She stumbled up on weak legs and headed to the stairs, which turned out to be an awful idea.

Jasper looked up from the couch. "Hey there, Sleeping Beauty! Get your little sweet ass down here and get your eats. I have the finest cuisine from the King of Burgers on the table, darlin'."

Two large lumberjacks turned to look at her from where they were sitting next to Jasper. Their faces were grizzled from hard living. They clutched cheap beers in their hands, as they leered at Bella. The dark-haired one patted his knees. "Come sit on my lap and eat, sugar."

Bella felt sick. Edward growled and, in a flash, took her arm, leading her to a small dining room table in the corner. She sat down, a limp hamburger in front of her, the lettuce already turning brown at the edges. Sipping at the sickly sweet orange soda did nothing to soothe her, either.

"We treat ladies with respect in this house!" he spat. His comment was directed to Jasper.

Jasper just winked at Bella, ignoring Edward. He turned to the visitors and stated, "You just hafta ignore Eddie. He can't hear his girl so he's awful possessive of her. Kinda obnoxiously sweet, boys."

"That girl deaf?" the other man asked before chugging his beer.

_Liquid piss_, Bella remembered her father calling it. She wanted to laugh at herself. The things that came to one's mind when their mortality was constantly being threatened.

"To Eddie she is. A pretty empty dolly, I think." Jasper grimaced and rubbed his head. "Fuck. Anyway, I think the boy's sweet on that empty-headed sweetheart. It's adorable."

Edward glowered and took Bella's hand. She had no clue what was happening, but Edward's hands on her made her fluctuate between comfort and terror.

"Jasper..." he warned.

Jasper grabbed his head again. "This shouldn't be fucking happening."

"Buddy, you all right? You wanna beer?" questioned the dark-haired lumberjack, holding out a can.

Jasper licked his lips. "I like stronger, thicker, redder stuff. Thanks for offering, Cherry Slurpee."

The man barely had a moment to register what was happening when Jasper pulled his head toward him, taking a savage bite from his neck. Blood rushed out, coloring Jasper's face and staining the pale roses on the couch's fabric. Bella stuck her fist in her mouth to muffle a scream.

The other man stared in shock for a moment and then let out a single scream. He stumbled toward the door. Edward cocked a single eyebrow and put a hand on Bella's cheek. "Close your eyes and stay perfectly still. If you run, you'll be prey. I can't protect you then."

Not listening, Bella watched as Edward flew out of his seat, pouncing on the man. He was like a cheetah pouncing on a gazelle. She took in Edward's every move as he ripped into the man's gut. It was horrifying.

That's when she heard the growl. Jasper dropped the man's corpse on the ground and stood. He smiled brightly, his eyes the same shade as the blood on his lips, as he crossed the room toward her. "Oh, honey, you are going to be a delicious dessert."

A roar filled the room as Edward, whose face was spattered with crimson, rushed over and tackled Jasper. "She's mine!"

"I want her, Ed!" Jasper screamed back.

"Bella! Run!" Edward bit into Jasper's shoulder.

He didn't have to say it twice; Bella burst out of the door, into the dark yard. The only light came from the windows of the house. She immediately tripped over a rock, landing on her knees. The lighter still inside her pocket tumbled into the grass, Bella's fingers searching until the raised edges that created the Phoenix bit into her skin.

_Jason and Sarah._

They were the only important things in this world.

Bella ran up the stairs and lit the Welcome Home banner on fire, along with the curtains that were gently swaying out of the window. She was going to burn those demons into ash and protect her babies.

A moment of regret about Edward flashed through her mind, but his blood-drenched face replaced the innocent ones of her offspring. A mother always put her babies first. Always.

The flames flicked up the wood, making Bella stare for just a moment. The fire looked alive as it consumed the house. That was all she needed to see. Bella turned quickly and ran.

Her feet pounded on the dirt of the path leading away from the house. The sound of her steps echoed in her ears.

She needed to get to her children before Jacob could.

"Bella! Wait!" She heard Edward scream. He was still alive.

She ran faster.

Jasper's laughter surrounded her. _That asshole!_

And still faster.

A hand gripped her throat, making her skid to a halt.

"Who do we have here?" The man was beautiful, but his smile was cold. He wore a slate trench coat and a jaunty plaid scarf around his neck looking like a debonair professional, but those ruby eyes betrayed him. His were as monstrous as the men she'd just fled. "Mrs. Black, I presume."

She attempted to struggle to free herself from him, but his grip tightened making it so very hard to breathe.

"Why, oh why, are you still alive? You should be a pretty corpse, dear girl," he stated. "Jasper said our Edward was smitten with you. What is it about you, little one, to make him so protective?"

A moan came from the ground. Bella couldn't move for she was certain the man would snap her neck, but her eyes flickered down.

Beaten to a pulp, was the son of her father's girlfriend.

"That, Mrs. Black, will make the pain go away," the man stated.

Seth Clearwater was as good as dead.


	5. Chapter 5

**AN: First, thank you all for taking the time to read this story. I really do appreciate it!**

**Thank you to mauigirl60 for editing this long chapter for me! You're fantastic!**

**Also, this story was on The Lemonade Stand poll this week. Thank you, Six Dlbfive for nominating it.**

**I just also wanted to mention if you have any questions or worries about the characters just PM me and I'll give you a heads up! I have a plan and I think you'll all like it! HEA, remember.**

Chapter 5

Fear is a funny thing. It can be gripping at first and then turn downright crippling. The kind of feeling that can put you into shock, where your body just shuts down on itself. Then, there is the pure sadness that you're a helpless victim which makes you break down in a river of tears. Those are accompanied by moments of rage that make you want to absolutely destroy the one causing the dread infecting you soul.

Bella went through all these reactions to the terror that had her in its graspbut, as she was lifted up into the air by the man clutching her throat, a new reaction overtook her - hysterical laughter, sounding like a wounded seal, due to the lack of air.

'Isabella Swan murdered by model' was what the obituary would read. That would be the most normal part of this mess that she found herself in.

"Put her down, Carlisle!" Edward yelled, running up, almost tripping over Seth's body.

Carlisle shook her in the air, a bemused expression on his face. "Mrs. Black is a regular pretty little rag doll, isn't she?"

"I said to put Bella down!" Edward rushed forward, but Carlisle flew backward with Bella. He shook her again. "Want me to just break her neck? You can cuddle her at night."

Jasper chuckled. "Until the lil' darlin' starts stinkin'. Then we'll just find Ed a new dolly."

Hands going up to Carlisle's, Bella fingers tried to desperately free her neck. He only just squeezed harder. There were white spots in her eyesight and she felt so . . .

"I can't hear her! Bella has one of the strongest gifts I've ever encountered in a human. If you kill her and Aro hears of it in my mind, you'll pay, Father," Edward pleaded, his face full of concern. Who he was concerned for was entirely in question.

Carlisle winced and dropped Bella to the ground in a heap. He clutched his head, muttering. It gave Edward enough time to get to Bella and cradle her in his arms as she gasped for breath. "She can live a while longer. I'm not promising anything, Edward."

Jasper rolled his eyes. "Young love - ain't it grand. That's not quite right. Damn boy, it's like an elderly corpse trying to woo a spring chicken. I get lovin' what you eat, but not lovin'_ up_ on what you eat."

"It isn't like that!" Edward scoffed, as he tightened the grip he had on Bella in case Jasper was planning on ripping her from his arms.

"I know things, brother," Jasper said, tapping his temple and cringing. Bella watched with wide eyes. They weren't alive, so why were they in pain? Bella was trying to wrap her brain around this as Jasper added, "Aro's gonna be one pissy mafia boss if that pup's dead."

"He's fine, Jasper." Carlisle continued rubbing his temple.

Jasper kicked Seth, making the boy cry out. The vampire remarked, "Cool."

The fire behind them blazed, as Bella glanced back at it. It lit the horizon with an ominous glow. The home would be ashes in no time. Her mind raced, trying to plan an escape for her and Seth. She wasn't certain if he was part of Jacob's band of murderers or if this was a horrible coincidence, but the boy who'd grown up with her had a kindness radiating from him like sunbeams. She refused to believe that he was a monster like her husband. Bella vowed to save him, if she could save herself, as well.

All of a sudden the sounds of quickly approaching sirens echoed throughout the forest. They filled Bella's ears like a symphony; she was about to scream when Edward clamped her mouth shut. He whispered harshly in her ear, "Do you want a massacre?"

She wanted it only if it left her captors in piles of ash, but she knew that the poor men who were planning on risking their lives to combat the flames were in graver danger than they realized.

She shook her head and Edward slowly removed his hand from her mouth. Bella suggested quietly, "Don't you think it would be better if we weren't here? Those men will have questions."

What she really meant was that those men would be a late night snack if they didn't leave the area immediately.

Carlisle glanced at her with a smile. "Thank you, dear girl. There is a location nearby that we can visit. We are in need of some libations and medicine to soothe our weary heads."

His comment made Bella shudder. She had a pretty good grasp of what those would entail.

Jasper picked up Seth and sniffed him with distaste. "Good thing you taste better than you smell, Benji."

They started to run, and Bella heard Carlisle say, "Completely silent. Intriguing."

Bella prayed.

XXXXXX

She woke up in a dimly-lit basement, curled up in a moth-ravaged blanket on an old mattress. It was damp with the faint musk of mildew. Rubbing her eyes, Bella slowly adjusted to the faint illumination that was given off by a gray desk lamp that was on the floor in the corner of the room. She must have succumbed from stress and fainting was the only rational thought that Bella could come up with for how she unknowingly ended up there. There was loud laughter coming from upstairs. Monsters!

Looking down, Bella noticed that next to the mattress was a can of warm Bud Light and a package of peanut butter crackers.

"Nifty, they're planning on getting me drunk before draining me dry," she muttered. She cracked the beer open, adding, "What the hell!"

Bella shot-gunned it down, barely registering its acidic taste. A skunked beer was a better final drink than nothing, but even prisoners on death row received far better.

Her fingers touched the smooth can as she tried to picture Jason's and Sarah's faces. The way Jason, her little daredevil, was obsessed with chasing bumblebees no matter how much Bella tried to warn him of their sting. How Sarah chewed her bottom lip as she read her favorite _Ivy & Bean_ stories, bursting into giggles when they came up with outrageous plans. She hoped they were safe with the golden-eyed family, but Bella knew that as vampires, anything could go wrong in an instant. Children skinned their knees all the time! One small tumble could lead to tragedy. Bella swallowed back more traitorous tears. They would do her no good.

The melancholy was short-lived when Edward burst in, carrying a limp Seth and dropped him. Seth hit the floor, lying completely still.

"You killed him!" Bella screamed, as she rushed to Seth. His neck was covered in blood. "You are a fucking psychopath!"

Edward regarded her coolly as if she were a small child who needed to be explained the facts of life very slowly. "We're vampires, so it really is the same thing, lovely. Never fear, he's alive for now. Aro wants him and his potent tribal blood. Carlisle and Jasper needed a taste."

Bella wiped the hair from Seth's face. He was so very pale due to the blood loss. Then it occurred to her. "Did you feed from him, too?"

"No, I didn't." Edward watched as Bella pulled Seth onto the mattress, covering him with the blanket. "Pray tell, what is it that you're doing?"

She retorted, "Making him comfortable, you heartless piece of shit."

A washcloth would have been a blessing to wipe his head with.

Edward just stood against a wall, one eyebrow raised. "He's only going to die as soon as he gets to Italy."

"Fuck you!" Bella was tired of hearing his weird, melodic voice. It was grating on her last nerve. For beings that were so beautiful, Bella was certain that their hearts were as black as coal.

"Promise?" Edward asked, but he covered his mouth as soon as it exited his lips. He looked surprised. "I'll be back soon. I have a few things to take care of and then we're out of here."

She glared at him. "I get a paid vacation to Transylvania too, Vlad?"

"Italy, Bella. Let's get our European countries straight. Just Seth and what other members of his tribe they can gather will be traveling overseas. I'll be taking you back to your children."

Bella gasped. Her children! "What's the catch? I thought your buddies wanted us dead?"

"They do, but we'll be far away when they finally regain enough sense to catch up," he stated with a grin.

Every molecule in her body was filling with joy, until she looked down at Seth, his sweating, fevered brow and the dried blood caked onto his skin. It would be a sin to leave him there to suffer. She clenched her hands into fist and marched over to Edward, head held high. "We'll take Seth."

It was not a question. She was going to make him comply by sheer will.

He laughed. "Are you insane? I'm already risking a beheading by helping you and those brats of yours! He stays and we go."

They were all heartless, but she still had to try. "Are you really without any compassion? Has your soul withered up and died?"

Edward cupped her face and gazed into Bella's eyes. Her heart was pitter-pattering, being so close to this former version of a man. He scared her but, at moments like this, he seemed softer. Almost as if he were human. He kissed her forehead, making Bella's thoughts spiral out of control. "Fine! He comes with us. Try to clean him up before we travel. His smell is there to repel us, but just knowing what his kind tastes likes makes it easier to ignore the stench."

"Clean him up with what?" Bella asked, stepping backward.

_Too close. What was that?_

Edward appeared to be shaken as well. He ran his fingers through that wild hair of his.

"There are some sanitizing wipes in that box over there." Edward pointed to a closed cardboard box near the bed. "Get him cleaned up."

Quickly, she grabbed the wipes and started cleaning Seth when Edward left the room. She was diligently performing the task, trying to remove every inch of the coagulating blood. She flinched as Seth grabbed her wrist. "Thank God you're alive!"

"Seth, how do you feel?"

He winced as he rubbed the wound on his neck. Amazingly, it was starting to heal. "Been peppier, but better now that I can see you're still with us. The kids?"

"Safe." She hoped.

"Dad will be relieved that you're alive. Jacob and Sam have lost their minds. If they think bringing dark energy to the tribe will make them the leaders, then they're nuts," he said weakly.

Bella grasped his hand. "We aren't safe yet but, hopefully, soon."

There was no question that she needed to get Seth back to Harry Clearwater. He was leader of the tribe and, if anyone would know about Jacob's 180 in personality, it would be him. One thing that Bella was certain of was that the relationship between her and Jacob was unequivocally over. Their marriage was destroyed beyond repair.

"Dad and Billy were trying to locate you before the ceremony, but they did something to the tribe. Some of us were able to get away to help you . . ." Seth was trying desperately to keep his eyes open. "It was as if they were frozen like statues. The ones of us who started changing and kept allegiance to the sun tribe weren't affected. We knew that we needed to stop Sam."

Bella was trying to reconcile all these things that were finally coming to light. She'd been kept in the dark for years by people she thought of as family. "You are all _one_ tribe, Seth! How do I and the children come to play in this? I'm a pale-face, which is painfully obvious, since you didn't think I should be informed that my family was in potential danger."

"Billy never thought Jake would be influenced by Sam! He thought Jake's love for you guys would be strong enough. TA sacrifice to the moon demon has to take place in order for Sam to take over. We figure he tried with Em . . ."

It had been years ago, but the memories came flooding back to Bella. Her heart filled with sorrow, as things became crystal clear.

_Jason had been tiny. He was obsessed with nursing at all hours and a full night's sleep in the house was spotty, at best. It was bright and early the next morning, when Jason was attached to her and suckling happily, as she watched old episodes of 'Who's the Boss' on the couch. Jacob sat next to her, keeping her company and staring blankly at the screen; he was always good about supporting her after those late nights with the baby. His fingers played with the hair hanging from the haphazard ponytail she wore. The phone rang and interrupted them from their late night Tony Danza viewing party._

_"What the hel . . . heck," Jacob muttered, giving Bella an apologetic grin. He picked up the cordless phone quickly, so Sarah wouldn't wake up. "What? Dad? Are you . . ."_

_Bella watched as Jacob listened with large and sorrowful eyes, not saying a word. She gripped Jason tightly, as she tried to figure out what made Jacob look so upset. Was it one of his sisters? _

_"All right, Dad. The funeral . . . right . . . call you tomorrow."_

_Hanging up the phone, Jacob knelt down by Bella and cupped her chin. "Honey, Dad called about Emily. She's dead, honey."_

_Emily had been her best friend growing up. They played dolls happily together, one dark and the other light, when Charlie took her to the reservation. Emily never treated her as an outsider, but always as a true friend._

_"Oh, God! How? Shit! Sam and the kids . . ."_

_He had tears in his eyes. "There was an accident, a car accident last night. Em and the kids didn't make it."_

"It wasn't a car accident, was it?" Bella knew the answer; she just wanted to hear the words.

"No, Bells. We figured that Sam covered up a botched sacrifice attempt. Emily was a full tribe member, so it didn't work." Seth grabbed her hand. "Honestly, no one knew what he was up to until recently."

"Let me guess, someone like me needs to be in the mix." Bella looked up at the ceiling. She spat, "Me and my half-breeds, right? Isn't that what your sister always called us?"

"Leah's a bitch! You know that! You were always a valued member of the tribe!" Seth pleaded. "Sam and Leah have always wanted to be more powerful in the tribe. When the leeches started prowling around and we started changing into wolves . . ."

"I'm guessing you're referring to the blood sucking gang upstairs," Bella stated with a frown. "Jacob did this to be chief. He was going to kill his children for that fucking job!"

Seth weakly squeezed her hand. "And Sam accomplished the deed by killing his own. If he could easily do that, he would so easily double-cross Jake. Leah, too."

"Then Jacob is not only a psychopath, but also an idiot," Bella said bitterly.

"Yes, he is."

Bella tried to listen for noise outside the room, but all was silent. "How did International Male snag you?"

"I'd been searching the beaches with Claire and Paul, but we split up. That jerk snagged me before I could change." Seth shut his eyes. "God, I'm tired."

Stroking his forehead, Bella cooed, "Rest, Seth. You'll need your strength."

Bella watched as his eyes closed and she waited. The walls were a dirty brick, the mortar crumbling onto the dirt floor. It was safer to just stare at it and pretend it was Jasper.

It could have been minutes or hours; Bella wasn't certain, but Edward returned, a serious expression on his face. "We can go now."

Quietly, Bella roused Seth from his slumber. "Hey, Seth, get up - it's time to go."

With Edward watching her struggle, Bella attempted to help Seth upright. "Need help?"

"What do you think, asshole?" she blurted out. Bella froze. He was going to kill them. Instead, he chuckled.

_Who was this man?_

"You kiss your kids with that dirty mouth?" Edward took Seth and lifted him up, slinging him over his shoulder. "Let's go, children."

Bella couldn't help wondering if he was bipolar. Could vampires be bipolar?

Edward headed out the door and up a dark staircase. Bella's fingers gripped the dirty walls, her fingers touching sticky cobwebs as she stumbled blindly. Her feet tripped on the steps as she desperately tried not to fall.

"Can you please stay upright?" Edward hissed.

"Can you please understand that I can't see in the dark like a cat?" she retorted, her hand grabbing his shirt to stop from falling. "I'm sorry I don't use sonar like you, bat boy."

"You get sassy when you're facing your own demise," Edward stated. He looked back at her. "I like that. Hold onto me."

Seth whispered, "Quiet down! Please! I've been munched on enough!"

"Don't worry, wolf. They're indisposed."

Bella wasn't certain what Edward meant until she saw the men sitting on a dirty and stained floral couch that would look more at home at the dump. An old lamp shaped like a teapot cast the vampires in an eerie glow. Carlisle and Jasper had their heads hanging crookedly, with red eyes rolled back and tongues hanging out of their mouths.

Bella dropped the back of Edward's shirt. "They're high!"

It was like an episode of _Breaking Bad_.

"They - no, _we_ are addicted to the wolves blood." Edward winced again. "It makes us act differently."

The pieces of the puzzle were quickly coming together for Bella.

"Listen, we need to get started on the journey." Still holding Seth over his shoulder, Edward laced his fingers through Bella's and led her through the door.

"What if they wake up?" she questioned. The idea that they would be more ruthless quickly entered her mind.

"We have two days. They'll be like that after the amount of wolf's blood they consumed." He dropped Bella's hand and pulled out a cell phone. Bella nervously watched Edward dialing it. "Garrett. I need your help."

Bella wished on the stars that this new addition had the golden eyes of the sun. However, she knew she probably wasn't that lucky.


	6. Chapter 6

**AN: Thank you all for reading this story. It was actually one of The Lemonade Stand's Fics of the Week, which was marvelous.**

**A giant thank you to mauigirl60 for making this chapter pretty!**

**Let's meet some new friends, shall we?**

Chapter 6

The sun was cresting the horizon as the band of unhappy travelers headed out of the woods toward the beach. The shimmering sand was littered with pieces of shells that the morning waves cast up onto the shore.

Without thinking, Bella reached down and grasped a littleneck clam shell. She used to come to the beach and gather them with her father and made necklaces after he drilled tiny holes in them. The creamy shell was caked with gritty sand, tickling her fingers as she rubbed them along the ridges. It soothed her to stroke the rough edges because it symbolized that she was a survivor – she was still alive. The shell went into her pocket as a reminder to keep going.

Seth had an arm wrapped around Bella's waist as she helped him over the sinking sand. He was getting better quickly, but was still weak from the previous night's blood loss. Edward was walking quickly ahead of them.

He spat backward over his shoulder, "Can't you walk yet, wolf? Bella doesn't need you leaning on her like a living crutch."

Seth was teetering closer and closer to telling off the vampire in front of them, but Bella clamped her hand over his mouth, effectively silencing his retort. Edward was a vampire with a serious desire for the red plasma coursing through her friend's veins; it wouldn't be prudent to make the creature angry. Bella was trying to stay calm and think rationally.

That lasted up until she saw the rock.

Bella stopped suddenly, her action almost causing her to topple over and taking Seth down with her. The beating of her heart picked up rapidly and her breath was ragged. The trembling shook her entire core. "Oh, God!"

Edward immediately skidded to a stop as well. He spun on his heel and watched as Bella bent over, trying to steady herself. Seth rubbed her back, as she continued shaking.

In a flash, Edward had pulled her upright, one hand holding her chin and the other one wrapped tightly around her waist. "What's wrong, Bella?"

"Why did you bring us here? This is where he was going to gut us! Just like those damned trout he'd bring home after fishing trips with his friends! He was going to slice up our children as if they were something he caught and was planning to fry up! Who does that? Can you tell me? Who does that?"

She screamed and pointed a shaky finger toward the rock.

Without a moment's thought, she was pulled gently against his cool chest. Edward could feel her warm, salty tears wetting his shirt. It was heaven and hell as he clutched the still-lovely woman, even with her matted hair and dirty dress.

"I have no idea, Bella. I really don't. I can promise you that this is far away from where your husband and his friends were going to harm you."

Bella looked up at him with her bloodshot brown eyes, which made Edward thoughts immediately turn to her awakening as a newborn. Her eyes would look so very similar to what they were now. It would be perfect. He shook his head quickly to clear it from thinking those thoughts.

There would be one way to shake her from the human melancholy he'd discovered about her so far. "I wouldn't bring you back there, you silly woman. Aren't you from around here? There are rocks everywhere. Honestly, you humans don't have to turn on the waterworks all the time. I thought you were better than playing the damsel in distress every two minutes. If this was a horror movie, the audience would be cheering for your demise."

Bella tried hard to push him away, a new fire in her eyes but the rock of a man wouldn't budge.

"It _is _a horror movie, you blood-sucking Popsicle! Have you missed out on the corpses rotting around here? I need two minutes to freak the fuck out, you pathetic Dracula wanna-be! I think I deserve a pass after my children and I were almost sliced and diced. I know you're comfortable with the whole killing thing, but some of us _do _have a heart. You were human once; maybe you still have one that's trying to beat again."

_Those traitorous hearts_, he thought.

Hers was beating so fast, the blood rushing against him, as he closed his eyes and savored the sounds. It was intoxicating but, for the first time, he didn't want to suck the song it was singing out of her. He was feeling emotions that he never would have believed he'd ever be capable of experiencing. Edward knew for a fact that he only wanted to keep her near.

"That's my girl."

She looked up in shock and then continued to try pushing him away. "Could you let go?"

He really didn't want to be away from her at that moment, but let her go slowly.

"Technically, I'm a shifter," Seth interrupted next to them. He was very aware of the moment that had just passed between Bella and the leech and it frightened him.

Bella moved closer to her friend and started helping him over the sand. "Can you become anything other than a snarling furry beast? A kitten? A monkey? Spotted owl, perhaps?"

Seth admitted, "No, but I'd rather not equate myself with a monster from _The Howling_. We're different."

"Not from what I observed when I was running for my life with Jason and Sarah."

Edward observed them quietly, as they continued to bicker softly as they got closer to the parking area.

Seth was prattling on. ". . . the moon. I can change anytime."

There was a roar of a loud engine as a filthy Range Rover barreled into the parking lot, its black paint looking gray from the fine dust of soot covering the exterior. The vehicle slammed to a stop and a man jumped out, waving at them.

"Greetings, Edward! Still got that oak I crammed up your ass, you prissy bastard?"

Seth couldn't help a chuckle which was halted quickly by Edward's withering glare.

The man strolling toward them was beautiful like all the other vampires Bella had the misfortune of meeting. His sandy hair was pulled into a small ponytail tied back with a cord of leather. An old _Sex Pistols _t-shirt fit snugly on his muscular frame, his dark jeans ripped, feet bare, a smile playing on his perfect face. The man just glowed.

"Your eyes are quite an interesting shade of yellow, Garrett." Edward's face was stone.

"I like to describe it as goldenrod myself. Esme has quite the way in convincing people to walk the right path. Some are exceptions, of course," Garrett stated, as the men glared at each other.

Breaking the staring contest, Garrett turned to Bella with a blinding smile. "Good Lord, sweet lady, you are a grimy vision of beauty. You smell like a field of blooming wildflowers. It almost covers the stench coming from the boy."

The man was indeed a charmer.

Edward grabbed Bella, pulling her behind him. "Don't talk to Isabella."

"Between the two of us, Edward, I think your red eyes are a little more of a danger to the dear lady." Garrett ignored Edward's decree and peered around him. "Isabella, is it?"

"Yes," she whispered. Bella was feeling more and more like _Alice in Wonderland_ crawling through the keyhole. Garrett was positively the Mad Hatter.

"I shall call you _Princess Isabella_. When I was a breathing man, I fought against tyrannical royal despots, but I would gladly fight for you, m'lady."

Edward growled, making Bella roll her eyes and walk around him to resume her position helping Seth.

"Calm down, tiger. The two of you are shimmering like you were dipped in glitter. Should we perhaps head on out before the surfers come and start mocking you boys?"

That time Seth had to laugh out loud.

As they got closer to the car, Garrett whispered, "Oh, I _do_ like her! Let's keep her, shall we?"

"Shut up!" Edward hissed. God, he hated him. It was going to be a long trip.

XXXXXX

It _was_ a long trip, because Edward had no clue where they were going. Bella watched as the stone man tapped his knee in irritation. He was usually so still. This was intriguing.

"Do you have a headache again?" she asked him.

She was sitting in the ripped back seat, Seth snoring loudly next to her. The tan leather looked like it had been clawed by a mountain lion.

"Headaches? Princess Isabella, we don't get headaches," Garrett announced, in confusion. He peered at Edward, who was despondently staring out the window.

"The rumors are true, then?"

Edward ignored him. He spoke to Bella instead. "The headaches have pretty much stopped."

Surprisingly, they had. Edward was certain now that the headaches were from not drinking the blood of the wolves; now that enough time had passed, his body didn't need the vile liquid anymore. It was as if a weight had been lifted, freeing him.

Garrett didn't take the hint. "Wolves' blood? How could you even think about consuming that stuff? That poor child back there smells like a trash dump and you rocket scientists are feeding off his kind? You should never have followed Carlisle to Italy, Edward! You have daddy issues. I know turning at seventeen . . ."

Bella couldn't help her gasp. _She had been kidnapped by a teenager?_

"You're seventeen?" she croaked out.

"It's been a while since I was seventeen," Edward murmured. It was odd that he was filled with the feeling of embarrassment.

"How long has it been?" Bella was feeling slightly queasy.

"Our boy here has been a forever teen angel, since the early 1900s," Garrett announced brightly. "I, on the other hand, am a man who was a hero during the founding of our country. My masculine prowess is legendary, Princess Isabella. What are your thoughts on lovemaking with a vampire? I hear it's all the rage with the ladies these days."

Garrett wiggled his eyebrows at her. Edward was going to rip off his head.

"Not a huge fan of necrophilia - no offense," Bella deadpanned.

Garrett just laughed. "You're a sassy little thing! I'll get you to see the love of cold things."

"If you touch her, you die," Edward said, his face expressionless.

Bella watched him carefully. He was on edge, but it was different this time. Edward's ire was focused on Garrett. She wished to be away from their power struggle and back with her children.

"Methinks our boy is becoming a man and has developed his first crush on the fair Isabella!" Garrett said this brightly at first, but then turned deadly. "Leave the wooing to the men, Edward."

"You think you can frighten me, Garrett? The only thing you do that's the least bit worrisome is the constant flapping of your gums. You can talk a person to death."

The men were too busy glaring at each other to notice a young deer leaping from the green foliage of the woods surrounding them, into the middle of the pavement.

Bella yelled, "Deer!"

Garrett swerved the car and halted to a stop. Bella gasped, and Seth was awakened with a jolt. "What the hell?"

"Could you two please stop acting like an old married couple and pay attention! I would like to get to my children!" Bella was beet red with anger. "Are we even close?"

Garrett turned to look at her, his expression apologetic. "I'm so sorry, Isabella. We'll be close to the boat soon."

"What boat?" Edward was planning on getting Bella's forgiveness, but he was more concerned about the change of plans. "Esme has a home right over the state line."

"Has all that Old Yeller blood gone to your brain?" Garrett looked at Edward like he'd gone insane. "Give Mama some credit. She's a lot smarter than Carlisle. Always has been. We have a new network of safe houses, my boy. James Harris has the floating transportation."

Edward's eyes narrowed into slits. His expression reminded Bella of an old cat that used to hang around her front porch when she was growing up. It was the same look that damned animal had right before it was about to strike.

"James? I'll never allow Bella near him."

"You have no choice," Garrett explained, all of his good humor vanishing without a trace. "When you, Jasper and Carlisle decided to skip off to the dark side with the Volturi, there were important things to consider. A war is brewing, Edward. Aro's boys and the wolves are creeping out of their holes and there could be massive human casualties.

"I like the way my life is and how these pesky humans enrich it with culture every day. It can be gone in an instant. Esme is building an army and you can choose to suck it up and help or keep acting like an infant. Choose the latter and I'll push you out of the car and deliver these two to safety."

Bella just stared at them both, wide-eyed. It was if all the monsters were coming out to play. Seth took her hand and looked at her worriedly.

"I can't leave her," Edward whispered. He looked up at the dome light in the SUVs roof. His voice was pitched so low that only Garrett could hear it.

"I'm beginning to see that, kid."

XXXXXX

Thirty minutes later, they were at a marina. It was small and discreet with tree branches forming a protective cover around them. Bella found it odd that the grounds were deserted this time of day. There were a few sailboats docked with their sails tightly furled. Seagulls squawking in the air, begging for crumbs, were the only sounds that could be heard.

"Where did this group hide all the bodies?" Bella murmured.

A man with blond hair that grazed his shoulders popped out of a fishing boat. His shirtless chest shimmered in the light, like the water surrounding him. He grinned, pulling some fishing line from the pocket of his cargo shorts.

"We go with burials at sea, dear lady. No, I'm kidding. We own this place. It's safe from the locals."

His eyes were gold. Bella exhaled slowly in relief.

Garrett held out his hand to shake his friend's, as they reached the boat. "Good to see you again, James. This vision is sweet Princess Isabella. Our stinky little buddy is young Seth."

"Just Bella. Hi," she greeted softly, once again feeling overwhelmed.

The man smiled kindly. "Hello there, Just Bella and young Seth. Good to have you on board. The rules on this vessel are simple. Relax. I've heard you two have had a rough go of it. We have warm showers and clean clothes for you both."

Bella noticed immediately that the man was purposely ignoring Edward. She felt Edward pulling her closer to him again. She felt like a human life preserver.

Garrett smiled. "I bet I can guess who gave you the heads up."

"Alice," James said, laughing. "Of course, she did!"

He stated that as if it were destiny.

"She stays with me." Edward pulled her even tighter to him, so tight that it hurt her.

"Ow!" Bella groaned.

There was a flurry of activity then; James flew at Edward, causing Bella to be thrown in the air. Before Garrett could catch her, Seth morphed into a wolf and maneuvered himself so she'd land on his soft fur.

Edward and James were trying to behead one another, as Garrett clapped slowly and distinctly at them.

"Hooray! You both have incredibly large penises. Can you please stop frightening the poor human woman and her dog? It shows a lack of sophistication that makes us truly the monsters of stories, gentlemen."

"We're supposed to be protecting her and Edward is trying to squeeze her to death!" James threw his hands up in the air in frustration.

"It was an accident! I was trying to protect her from you!" Edward started pulling his hair.

Bella stood up and dusted off her skirt. She was going to burn this dress along with all the memories. She patted Seth's soft brown fur and glared at the men.

"If your pissing contest is over, do me a favor and let me get cleaned up. I smell horrific."

A cheery redhead, whose head was covered in springy curls, came out onto the deck wearing a purple bikini. Seth whimpered and Bella popped him one on the snout. It appeared that even dog-boys got stupid over sexy women.

"I say you smell like a bouquet of fresh daisies. Don't worry, sweetie," the woman said with a bright smile. "Let's get you and your pup cleaned up."

"I need to stay with her!" Edward pleaded. His need to be constantly touching her was rivaling the lust for the wolves' blood earlier.

"One addiction for another, Edward?" Garrett asked, his eyebrow raised.

Victoria came over to help Bella onto the boat, as a very naked Seth hid behind a small bush. He squeaked, "Anybody have a towel?"

A bright beach towel flew and hit the bush. Victoria called out, "Here you go, cutie."

Seth was blushing like a schoolboy.

A dark skinned man popped his head out a door leading to the wheelhouse and called out, "We need to get a move on, boys and girls! Trouble's brewing!"

James looked worried. "What happened, Laurent?"

"They found a dead man on a beach near the highway, ripped to shreds." He glanced at Seth. "It was one of the kid's tribe members."

"Did they give a name?" Seth whispered.

Laurent swallowed and said somberly, "Paul Jones."

Bella held Seth as he wept. She looked at Edward questioningly.

He simply said, "It's time to begin the journey."


	7. Chapter 7

**AN: Thank you all for reading.**

**Mauigirl60 helped make this look lovely.**

**Enjoy!**

Chapter 7

The waves were choppy as they hit the bottom of the boat. Bella stared at the cresting waves as increasing winds moved them forward. The dark clouds filled the sky, eclipsing the sun and casting an ominous feeling over the only breathing members of the crew.

Her fingers strummed the deck quietly. Bella hadn't realized she was unconsciously filling the boat with a song about fruit salad. Jason loved that song and the chortling Australians who'd made it so popular. Bella always said that they gave her a headache, but she would do anything to see her little guy dancing and trying to sing along, missing every other word.

Seth had his head buried in his arms. A sniffling sound escaped him every few minutes. Paul's death and the unknown whereabouts of Claire had hit him to the core. Bella just rubbed his back, as the boat rocked them.

"It's going to storm," she whispered. Looking into the threatening skies, Bella wondered if perhaps they needed to get below.

Seth looked up, his eyes rimmed with red. "Does it matter?"

"Probably not," Bella admitted.

Seth gave her a sad smile. "Being wet would be a bummer. We already had showers."

"Yes, Seth. That's the worst thing that could possibly happen to us in this mess." She looked at his face which immediately turned remorseful. She patted his hand, returning his smile. "Paul was a good man. I'm sorry."

Seth looked at the deck. "We knew what we were getting into. There was always a possibility that we could get hurt. I could've never imagined that he'd be just ripped up. We are a family, all of us in the tribe!"

"I don't think they care about family, anymore," she pointed out. If Jacob had cared about family, he wouldn't have tried to kill his wife or children. She wiped away more tears that slipped out.

Bella swallowed hard. What were the intentions of this band of golden-eyed vampires? Could they truly be heroes and speak of war? What about the children?

There were so many questions with no clear answers. Unfortunately, she was now blindly following their whims to get back to her babies. It was frustrating.

"Claire . . ."

"She's fine, Seth." Bella had no clue of Claire's safety or lack thereof, but she had to have some semblance of hope. The wind whipped her hair around, making the tendrils seem alive.

Seth's head popped up like a jack-in-the-box. He looked over to where both Edward and Garrett were staring at the oblivious Bella. Her every movement was being tracked by the men.

"Your boyfriends are salivating," he observed. "You might as well be wearing the bikini that redhead was trying to talk you into."

Bella snickered. It wasn't certain what Victoria's plan was with the wispy pieces of gauze, but it was pointed out quickly that the approaching inclement weather wasn't the prime opportunity for sunbathing. It would have been funny, if the situation wasn't so dire.

Glancing over at the men, Bella frowned as she noticed their eyes on her. They appeared to be unraveling heavy ropes, but even she could tell that their actions weren't making much progress. She pulled at the snug t-shirt, trying to stretch it out in order to give her more coverage.

"They're probably starving. You can't beat the way to get rid of the evidence. Just drop the bloodless corpses overboard. Makes me think of that show _Dexter_."

A hiss and a chuckle were heard clearly over by the ropes.

"Bella, please stop antagonizing our fellow passengers. They'll eat us, girl!" Seth took a deep breath. "I don't know why you have to give them a hard time."

"I'll go mad if I don't," she admitted. The skies were growing even darker. "I need some control, you know; a feeling that I have some power in this mess. You can turn into a very powerful animal, Seth. The vampires are strong and can break my neck with a flip of their pinkie fingers. I have nothing except my smart-assed mouth and a hope that they might feel my bravery is a reason to keep me around."

Seth hugged her close. "You're more powerful than you think, lady! There has to be a reason they're keeping you around."

"Bait." She glanced at a laughing James. "Are we almost to our destination, James?"

"Soon, Bella dear. We need to make a pit stop but, after that, we shall get you to your little ones."

Garrett came over to her and bowed. "Princess Isabella, may I escort you below? This storm is coming closer and I would be amiss if I lose your beautiful person overboard."

"Unless I was a bloodless corpse," Bella joked.

"That is a given, Princess Isabella. We can't have evidence left for the authorities to find! I do watch _CSI_!" He winked at her.

Edward made a strangled groan and stomped down below into the ship's hull.

"Teenagers today! You would think the boy would at least be a little more respectful in his hundreds! Geriatric youngsters are such a troublesome sort. We should ground him, Laurent!" Garrett called to the dark-skinned vampire who was trying desperately to prepare for the upcoming ill weather.

Laurent was securing the group of large boxes and glanced at Garrett in exasperation. "Stop flirting with the human, get them down below and then start helping! Jesus, man!"

Garrett hustled Bella and Seth down the stairs. Bella's damp shoe slipped and she fell. Bracing for a fall, Bella was quickly caught up in two muscular arms.

Edward brushed her face with his hand. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah," she said, looking into his concerned face.

For a moment, there was a flicker in her mind that maybe she would be.

XXXXXX

That feeling was brief because as the boat swayed violently, Bella felt like she was going to die from seasickness. The cot she sat on felt like a roller coaster.

"It's going to be fine!" Edward promised in an attempt to soothe her. His cool hands rested on her brow. "James may be an ass, but he's a good sailor."

Edward looked at the ceiling of the boat and chuckled.

"He's calling you dirty names, isn't he?" Bella questioned, momentarily forgetting her discontent until Seth vomited nearby.

"Drain me now!" Bella complained. "It has to be better than this."

"Not amusing, Bella," Edward swallowed and held his breath. It wasn't amusing at all. "You need to be strong for those children of yours."

She looked up at him from the bucket in between her knees. "You don't give a shit about me or my kids."

That was completely wrong. Edward realized he was caring deeply to what happened to her and, by extension, her children. It was uncomfortable as he was unaccustomed to these emotions. Even before his time with the Volturi, Edward had been a loner. Carlisle had changed a boy into a monster, and had attempted to drill the idea that he was more than a villain, he was a creature deserving of love. It had been considered a cruel lie until he met the dark-eyed woman with the sharp tongue. Isabella was intoxicating.

"You have no reason to believe a word I say." He wiped the damp hair from her brow. She would look like an awful mess to anyone but him. He thought she was magnificent. "I want the best for you. All of you. Have some water."

He twisted the lid off a plastic bottle and brought it to her lips. The cool water slipped past her tongue. It felt refreshing, until the boat tilted against the impact of another wave. This was worse than Bella's morning sickness with Sarah. "Oh, God!"

Seth retched next to them and moaned.

Bella took the water out of Edward's hand and stumbled on weak legs to Seth, who was slumped over on a faded beach chair. She imagined this was how a newborn foal would feel taking its first steps without the accompanying nausea. "Hey, buddy, drink this."

"That was for you!" Edward looked at her like she was crazy.

Bella glanced up at him with a grimace, holding the bottle to help Seth sip the water. "Dig deep into that stone chest of yours and find some compassion. Why don't you go help the rest of the undead pirates on deck?"

"My job is to take care of you. Garrett isn't coming near you," he said, his serious expression morphing into a smile. "Plus, I'm horrible with boats. Laurent is afraid I'll break something and we'll end up in the Bahamas."

"Don't be cute and be useful instead!" The floor moved and so did Bella's stomach. Her hands flew to her mouth and she mumbled, "Bucket!"

Bringing it to her, Edward asked cheekily, "You think I'm cute?"

Bella vomited and then looked up. "Fucking adorable!"

XXXXXX

It felt like a million years but, finally, they made it out of the storm and to a small island. They had docked in the wee hours of the morning as Bella and Seth slept; now that morning had arrived, the sun was shining brightly.

Sitting with her legs crossed on the deck, Bella gazed at the fellow boaters who were also rising. They busied themselves around their vessels, preparing for their day. Some men were loading a fishing boat with nets. An older couple sat on their yacht, drinking cups of coffee and observing the new morning as smiles graced their etched faces. That was what Bella had imagined her future to be once upon a time. But no more.

James had informed them that they'd be stocking supplies at dusk that Esme ordered so, today, the vampires would be hiding out because of the sun. Then they would load up and finish the last of their trip. Bella would be relieved to see Jason and Sarah again.

Seth stumbled up from below, his hair still damp from his shower. "It's like a statue convention downstairs. Seriously, they aren't talking or moving. All they do is stare at each other. Is it because they don't have their coffins with them?"

"I don't think they use coffins, Seth." Bella looked at a laughing family returning to their sailboat, carrying paper bags and beverage cups. It was most definitely breakfast time. "I would pay anything for a cup of coffee right now."

"I hate coffee, but I can see the appeal after the last few days," Seth admitted. "My body feels like it's been at war. There's nothing in the galley but bottled water and M&Ms."

Bella rested her head on her knees. "Of course. Vampires don't have the best taste in food, do they? I'm surprisingly famished."

"Me, too."

A twinkling voice was heard from below. "I thought humans liked chocolate? Did I like chocolate, James? I can't recall."

One thing that Bella could figure out from Victoria was that she was obsessed with the human experience. She was always questioning Bella and Seth about their lives, because her own memories were so vague.

"You did, sweetheart."

Bella heard James coo at her.

Garrett peeked out the door, his face glittering like a million diamonds. "Are you hungry, Princess Isabella? Clifford?"

Bella couldn't help but grin.

"Who's Clifford? I'm Seth!."

Bella patted Seth's hand. "He means like Clifford, the big, red dog. It's a children's book."

"Oh! I had those when I was a kid, but why . . ." Seth's face twisted in a scowl. "Another dog joke? It's starting to get old, leeches!"

"Your puppy is sensitive, Princess Isabella. Methinks he needs some kibble," Garrett teased. "Let me give you some money and—"

Edward pushed him out of the way. "It's not safe!"

"They have to eat, you whiny Daddy's boy!" There was a tussle down below.

"You tell him, Garrett!" James chimed in, egging on the fight.

Edward growled, "You just want to get in her pants!"

"So do you! Good luck figuring out how your dick works, Virgin!" Garrett retorted.

_Virgin? _Bella stifled a surprised gasp. It really was none of her business.

Seth tried to peer down. "Bells, your undead boyfriends are acting like toddlers. Do you think they'll pull you apart so they don't have to share?"

"Shut up, Seth!" Bella looked to see that the loud commotion was causing people on neighboring boats to look at their boat questioningly. Obviously, being ancient had made them lose all sense.

Bella stomped downstairs and hissed, "Cut it out, idiots!"

Every single vampire turned toward her, staring with unblinking eyes. She continued, "If you're trying to be incognito, then you're doing a terrible job. Also, no one will be getting anywhere near my pants. Money, please."

She held out her hand and was pleased to see Edward place a large wad of bills into her hands. He looked sheepish.

"Why don't you buy something for your kids? They deserve a gift of some sort."

Counting the bills quickly, Bella looked up, shocked.

"This is a thousand dollars, Edward!"

"Get something nice for yourself, too."

Garrett shook his head and muttered, "Kiss-ass. Grasshopper has so much to learn."

Bella ignored him and whispered, "Thanks, Edward."

The smile Edward gave her was dazzling. It was too much, way too much.

XXXXXX

The café near the marina was small and intimate. The walls were a brightly painted yellow and the furniture was sea blue. It looked as if it had been decorated by schoolchildren, but the food was excellent.

Seth was inhaling his large plate of pancakes with gusto. He looked at Bella, who was just playing with her eggs. "I thought you were hungry?"

She was nervously eyeing their surroundings. "Do you feel like we're being watched?"

Scanning the room and sniffing discreetly, Seth couldn't figure out what she was worried about. He leaned in to whisper, "I can't smell anything that seems otherworldly. There's nobody here like me or sickly-sweet, like your beaus."

Wrinkling up her napkin, Bella tossed it at Seth's head. "Stop it! I have enough on my plate without having to deal with those two overgrown children."

It was true; there she was, trying not to be murdered by her husband while her children were at Camp Vamp. It really wasn't the time to swoon over pretty zombies. She was already internally kicking herself for her momentary loss of brain function when it came to Edward Cullen.

"I'm teasing," Seth said, grinning. "They just dig your warm form. Seriously, though, those surfers over there are checking you out, girl. You clean up pretty nice."

Bella glanced over to a large group of sand-covered young men. Dressed in board shorts and damp hair, they were chuckling at something on the table. A dark-haired one glanced at her and winked. That must be the person who was setting Bella on edge.

Bella rolled her eyes and turned back to Seth, who was stealing a piece of her bacon. She slapped his hand. "Order your own!"

"I do like meals courtesy of Edward, Mr. Money Bags. I wonder if he'll buy me a pony?"

"Finish up, Seth. Let's get this day over with!"

Bella threw her napkin onto her plate and took another swig of coffee.

The sooner it was done, the sooner she would be back with the children.

XXXXXX

"Was it necessary to purchase this much clothing?" Seth's arms were filled with bags of kid's clothes and a few stuffed animals.

They were heading back to the boat after a day of purchasing supplies for the children. Bella had no clue if the vampires would know what was appropriate for them and wanted to have all the bases covered.

The sky was darkening, as the sun was heading down onto the horizon. This was never Bella's favorite time of day. She'd always preferred the light of morning which signaled the new day. It always made her feel refreshed and lighthearted. The night always made her nervous. Mostly lately. She wondered if she'd ever be comfortable in the dark again after that monstrous night on the beach. The memories made her shiver.

Seth dropped the bags and draped his sweatshirt over her shoulders. "It's chilly. Hey! I can see them loading the boat."

The dock was nearby as the duo headed down the sidewalk, the dim streetlights leading them toward their destination.

"Hey, it's the girl from the café!" shouted the dark-haired surfer from the morning. His friends hovered nearby, their laughter rating on Bella's ears.

The man brushed his long bangs away from his face. Bella was struck by two things about the man now that she was near him: his crooked nose and the lack of expression on his face. He had dead eyes; the eyes of a human monster.

"Why don't you head back to your house, kid, while the lady comes drinking with us?" he said to Seth.

"Oh, hey," Bella addressed him quietly. "Umm, my husband is waiting for us."

She twirled her wedding ring around her finger. It burned her, but she was still not ready to remove it from her finger. It was her penance for not stopping Jacob sooner.

"I'm not leaving her," Seth spat. Bella saw her friend's body starting to quiver.

"Seth, get back to the boat."

She couldn't have him morph into a hairy beast right now. There were too many witnesses.

"Not without you!" Bella's eyes drifted to his hand, where hair was growing thick and dark. She hissed, "Get Edward, Garrett or even Victoria!"

"Bella . . ." His face was tight. Seth was starting to change.

One of the man's friends laughed, "Lonnie, dude, let them go! There are enough chicks at Sid's."

Lonnie frowned, "I want this one. I love brunettes."

He grabbed Bella's arm.

There was a flash and then Lonnie was pulled away from Bella. He was thrown against a streetlight, his neck being squeezed by Edward.

Lonnie's bulging eyes were finally flickering with emotion: pure, unadulterated fear.

"She's mine!"


	8. Chapter 8

**AN: Thank you all for reading! You make me really happy!**

**Thanks to my wonderful beta, mauigirl60! Your suggestions were perfect!**

Chapter 8

"Hey, Edward, relax your hand a bit. You're scaring Isabella," Garrett spoke in a calm, almost hypnotizing tone. Edward's head whipped toward Bella, watching as she grasped onto the quivering Seth, his eyes dark and unreadable. "Isabella, sweets, take Seth back to the boat."

Bella had barely registered the arrival of the others; her eyes couldn't leave the sight of Edward causing the man's eyes to bulge out as his hand squeezed tightly.

James and Laurent were speaking so quickly that their words couldn't be registered by the humans surrounding them, but Bella could see the slight twitching of their lips. Victoria, who was covering the rest of the cowering group of humans, expressed herself loudly, "It's dangerous for the girl to take the pup back by herself. His kind nips."

Garrett shook his head slowly. "She'll be just fine, Vickie. Won't you, Isabella?"

Isabella was sure she would be just dandy. The fates of the men in front of her were suspect, however.

"Please, Bella, go." Edward looked at her pleadingly, slowly relaxing his grip. It wasn't that she hadn't seen the worst of his nature before, but it had become abhorrent to him how he was viewed by her. He wished to be more to her than just a horror monster.

Seth trembled more violently, as James demanded, "Now, Bella!"

Grabbing Seth by his shirt, Bella dragged her friend down the road. He was snarling quietly. She hoped he wouldn't lash out and take a bite. Bella shivered, hearing the conversation behind them that the vampires were having with the young men.

"Let's go take a walk, boys," Victoria purred. "I promise not to bite."

"We ain't going anywhere, la—" The man's words were cut off as he groaned instead.

James was heard cackling and added, "My girl doesn't take no for an answer."

Bella continued to walk forward, holding tightly to Seth and never looking back. He was starting to relax slightly, the tremors easing.

"Remember, Edward, no munching," she heard Garrett say. "Esme's rules!"

She just kept walking, never looking back.

XXXXXX

They sat next to each other on the cot. Seth played with his sleeve as he stated uncomfortably, "I bet they're totally dead."

"Totally dead," Bella deadpanned in response. Those men were probably buried deep in a hole somewhere.

An awkward silence fell between them.

"I probably would've killed them, if the _Walking Dead_ hadn't shown up." Seth looked down at his shoes. "I felt the change coming."

"I saw the change coming, Teen Wolf." Bella gave him a tiny smile. "This whole thing is just so messed up. Housewife-turned-horror movie-victim wasn't what I imagined for my future."

That statement did give her pause. If this horror story, that Bella found herself thrust in, had any minuscule amount of a positive outcome, it would have to be that she'd had some moments to reflect on her life. Had she really been fine with only being Jacob's wife? Motherhood, she loved, but her marriage had been lacking even before her husband became a snarling, furry werewolf. He was fine with working at a garage, which was okay with her. The issue was that he never supported Bella with her goal of advancing her professional career. The degree in English she held seemed to loom over her. She was mocked, maybe not as sweetly as she previously imagined, when broaching the subject about teaching.

Maybe, when this was all finished, she could provide for her children and further her ambition. That would be her way out of her humdrum existence.

"Bella, how do you attract all these creepers?" Seth's words shook Bella out of her thoughts. "You're a magnet for danger."

"I'm a magnet for assholes, Seth. It's really simple. Only psychotic and delusional ones need to harass me." She sighed and frowned. "I would have preferred saving myself in this mess."

The sound of footsteps echoed around them.

"Your rescuers are back." Seth gave Bella's hand a squeeze. "I think you've done pretty well for a human in all this."

But had she really? To be completely honest with herself, Bella wasn't even able to escape from some surfer punk and his pals. 'Victim' was written all over her in an invisible Sharpie that she couldn't rub off. One look at her and that man from the pack of surfers decided he could demoralize and destroy her for a thrill. If a person without otherworldly powers could think that, then it was no surprise that she was probably considered no more important than a gnat needing to be squashed.

"There's a story I like to read to Sarah called _A Paper Bag Princess_," Bella stated out loud, as the thought hit her.

They jerked as the boat suddenly started moving.

Seth looked at her quizzically. "Mom and Dad never read that one to me. It was probably the princess thing."

She didn't even hear him, just continued speaking, "I want her to be like that. My Sarah and Jason, too — brave and strong. Willing to face the dragon with their wits and show that they're just as special as those that want to destroy them. Jake and even the vampires think they're so much better than we are — because they can eat us? Well, I call bullshit, because they _were _us!"

She wiped hot, angry tears from her eyes, as Seth patted her back, trying to soothe her. "You know I agree with you, Bells."

"Sarah doesn't need one of these mythological princes to save her and Jason. I should be the one to do it, damn it! I'm their mother!"

"I have your bags, Bella," Edward said quietly from the doorway. He was leaning against the frame, as her words filled his very soul. He thought she was a warrior and he wanted to take hold of her and reassure her that she was truly more remarkable than anyone he'd ever met.

"Oh!" She looked up at him with a startled expression. She looked into his red eyes. "You didn't feed from—"

"No, this is left over from before. They won't, however, hurt anyone ever again." He smiled a gentle smile. "You two get your rest. We'll be at the island tomorrow, bright and early. Get some rest."

Tomorrow. She just needed to make it until tomorrow.

XXXXXX

_The wind was whipping the sand and cool rain around Bella on that cursed beach. She kept running to get away from the dark skies, and to find her car. Her rusty Honda Civic was always breaking down, but it would be a blessing to get away from this place. The sand felt like tiny pieces of ragged glass digging into her skin. Her hand reached up and she saw that it was covered in red. _

_She attempted to run faster. The sand became mud, then quicksand, as her feet sank into the soft muck. It was impossible to move. Then the sand truly became glass and abraded her harder. Blood ran into her eyes, clouding her vision._

_All of a sudden, Bella could see clearly as the clouds parted and bright sunlight filled the sky. It wasn't a comfort; instead, it felt as if her skin was roasting. She looked down to see her skin bubbling._

_She heard a howl as she saw a rust-colored wolf walking toward her. His sharp teeth were bared and foam dripped lazily from his mouth. Bella knew instantly who the wolf was._

_Jacob._

_His furry body was seizing as the fur fell off, as his body twisted and skin started reappearing. His snout shrunk back into his face and the Jacob she used to know came back to her __—__ at least appearance-wise, because his face was still hard as stone._

_"Jake, please! This isn't you!" she pleaded in frustration. "You love me and the children! Let us go!"_

_He stood in front of her, completely nude. She couldn't see what the appeal was anymore. The boy she had loved was no longer present._

_"Did you think you could hide them with the fucking leeches?" He approached her and grabbed her face. "What kind of wife are you?" _

_Bravely staring into Jacob's brown eyes, she hissed, "The kind of mother who always puts her children first, you piece of shit! You're their father and they love you! Do you even care? You have no humanity left!" _

_"Brave words, little girl!" He smiled then; Jacob's teeth were still so very pointy. "My children love their daddy and will do as they're told. It's for the greater good!" _

_"No!" She struggled to get away. "I won't let you have them!" _

_His one hand moved off her cheek and rested on her stomach. His fingers sharpened like talons and sliced into her as she let out a ragged gasp. _

_"I'll enjoy watching you die, my love!" he growled, as his teeth ripped into her neck._

Bella awoke, screaming, filling the room with sounds of terror.

Edward was beside her in an instant and cradled her body to his. Fingers gently stroked her hair, as she wept, "Oh, God! Oh, God! Oh, God!"

"Bella, you need to calm down," Edward stated, trying to sound soothing. Her panicked face terrified him and he knew she was at her wits' end. "It was just a dream. You're here! You're safe!"

She grabbed Edward around his neck tightly, eyes desperate. "I'm going to die! He's going to rip me to shreds! You . . . You . . . Need to—"

Edward brushed the tears from her face, which felt like fire to his cold skin. "He won't do anything to you! I swear to destroy that beast before he comes near you!"

"Lis . . . listen to . . . me," she stuttered. Taking a deep breath to steady herself, she continued, "Jacob's going to kill me. Promise . . . promise me that you'll protect my babies! Spirit them far away, where they can grow up and be happy, experience joy and have their nightmares banished! Promise me!"

Her cries further warmed his cold, stone heart. He swallowed thickly, her lovely face so close, lips very near his. He loved her.

His lips met hers slowly at first. Bella's mouth was so very warm and soft, but that wasn't the only attraction. She felt like his due north, the final piece to the puzzle that was Edward Cullen. She was his everything.

Bella wrapped her fingers in his hair without thought, pulling him closer. She felt frenzied by his touch. Was it fear that drove her to this unexpected action? She didn't know. The only word that filled her consciousness was _more_.

His arms wrapped around Bella's waist and she was pulled into his lap. She stroked his cheek, chin and the shell of his ear. It filled him with bliss.

The smell of her changed for him permanently. Bella no longer smelled of prey, but of desire and need. That was what Edward craved now.

He murmured into her mouth, "Love."

Bella pulled away, gasping.

They just stared at each other, red eyes trying to read brown.

He stroked her nose with his thumb. "Oh, Isabella."

"Land ho!" Garrett yelled from the deck. "Get out here, kids! Seth is looking worried."

Bella jumped off quickly. "The children!"

She rushed toward the ladder and looked back at Edward, sitting solemnly and staring in her direction. A gentle smile graced her face and Bella gave him a nod.

Edward was filled with hope.

Bella's mind was a whirling dervish of thoughts and feelings when it came to the man downstairs. She desperately pushed them out of her head and jogged over to Seth. Looking out to where they were docking, she gazed to where two small figures were running toward the boat, dark hair flying behind them. A large, sparkling man was lumbering behind them with a booming laugh. He looked familiar. He called out, "Let the boat park, munchkins!"

A blonde equally-shimmering woman followed languidly behind, her arms filled with beach toys and towels. She corrected, "It's dock, not park, Emmett. Jason, sweetheart, you need more sunblock!"

They acted like a family. Bella gripped the railing. Sarah and Jason were _hers_.

A hand grasped her shoulder. Instantly, she knew it was Edward. "They're just protecting them, Bella. You will _always_ be their mother, I swear it. We're also a family here, though. Uncle Emmett and Aunt Rosalie love to spoil little ones."

"You can't read my mind," she stated in confusion. "Did that change?"

He stroked a tendril of her hair. "It's written all over your face."

She gave him a grin. "Oh, goody, now I'm an open book."

Edward grinned back, as Seth rolled his eyes.

The crew of the boat quickly finished securing the vessel. Garrett bowed and held out his hand to help her from tripping as she exited the boat. "Princess Isabella, your children await."

Bella didn't even glance at him as she rushed down the dock to the beach, followed by Seth. She jogged across the white sand to the running children, the family sliding into each other.

"Mama! Mama! Kiss my mama!" Jason peppered her face with kisses. It felt wonderful. "Love my mama!"

Sarah clung to her mother's side and cried. Her voice was thick with tears as she whispered, "You're alive, Mommy! I love you!"

"I love you too, babies!" Bella answered. She grasped them tightly, never wanting to let go.

Next to them, Seth sunk into the sand, teary-eyed. Bella took his hand, joining him in their family embrace. He was now her brother.

Edward and Garrett watched from a few feet back. Glancing over at the younger vampire, Garrett stated nonchalantly, "You need to practice your daddy skills, kid. Your mate will never forgive you if anything happens to the poppets. They need to become as important to you as she is, that mama's babies will always come first, as it should be."

"Is that what I'm feeling? That we're mates?" Edward had a suspicion that his intensity was something special.

Garrett gave a chuckle. "Yes, all that kissing going on means exactly that."

Edward looked at Garrett worriedly. "Bella's married, though."

"I think that relationship became null and void after her husband tried to eat her and the poppets," Garrett explained, shrugging.

"You'll stop flirting with her, then?"

"Never! It's far too much fun! After walking the earth for so many years, I refuse to give up on some amusement." Garrett looked at Bella hugging her children and Seth. "Don't worry though, kid. I won't steal her away."

"Like Kate will let you," Edward scoffed at a glaring Garrett. The mate relationship between Garrett and Kate was always amusing for the other vampires. They were argumentative to a fault and ended their relationship repeatedly.

Then Edward grew somber. "She believes she'll die by that monster's hands."

"She's not Alice," Garrett pointed out. "No magic dreams. We'll protect her."

"The children?" Edward asked.

Garrett watched as Jason kept petting his mother's hair, both children situated in Bella's lap.

"They must be protected at all costs. Bella will never forgive us and I refuse to be haunted by the Princess for all eternity. She would be terrific at giving a guilt trip."

Edward's face morphed into anguish. "I can't lose her!"

"Kid, you won't. She won't die for good. If you don't do it, I will. Esme and Alice will pinch-hit, if necessary."

"What if she doesn't—" Edward began.

"As long as those children are safe, she will," Garrett explained confidently. "The mates' bond is almost as strong as a mother's."

Bella kissed the children and started singing a lilting tune, "My bonny lies—"

Her song filled him with need for her love. Edward could only wish on the stars hidden from view by daylight for Garrett's words to be true.


	9. Chapter 9

**AN: A huge thank you to mauigirl60 for being my beta!**

**More thanks to all of you reading! I really appreciate it!**

**Enjoy!**

Chapter 9

Every finger and every toe was accounted for. Sarah's smile was bright and Jason was trying to tickle Bella's stomach. This was what happiness felt like. They were two pieces of her that had been missing and Bella was now holding onto them tightly. Two giggling brunettes with big eyes and infectious giggles that made her finally feel content.

The lovely woman with the auburn hair knelt next to them in the sand—Esme. She was the one who'd saved her children. "That's what I've been waiting to see. It's so thrilling to have you here safe and sound."

Bella looked sincerely into the woman's golden eyes. "Thank you for caring for them."

"It was my pleasure! The children are absolutely enchanting and are beloved by all of us." She rubbed Jason's head and he smiled up at her. "You wouldn't believe how having children around this lot brought such joy and lightness. They are blessings!"

The words Esme spoke were heartfelt. It was easy to forget the innocent way that a child viewed the world, the thrill they took from discovering new things. Mostly, the way these two children had seen the worst evil in the world but could still see the goodness in a ragtag band of monsters.

Standing, Esme wiped the sand from her jeans and held out her hand. "Come, dear Bella and brave Seth. I think you two would enjoy a warm shower and some breakfast at the main house. Rose promised pancakes and bacon to the children."

"Monkeys!" Jason exclaimed as he tried to help Esme assist Bella to stand.

"Monkeys?" Bella was confused. Of course, monkeys would probably be the most normal thing she would have encountered the way her life had been going.

"Rosie promised!" Jason jumped up and down in excitement.

The cool blonde who had rescued them before came up, barely glancing at Bella. She cooed at Jason, "I did, my little monkey man."

Bella was tired, confused, stressed, and feeling emotionally drained. She was also not intimidated in the least by this woman.

"I really appreciate that you watched after them for me, but I'd really like to be the to make breakfast for them—get things back to normal."

Sarah snuggled into Bella's side and hugged her tightly.

Rosalie gave her a withering glance. "Normal? Normal in the way that their mother let their homicidal father try to eat them? _That_ type of normal?"

Bella froze as Sarah gripped Bella tighter. Jason sat down and started making a hole in the sand.

Esme gripped Rosalie's arm tightly and hissed, "That's not fair! Bella is an innocent in all this! Apologize!"

"Why? She let them live with a wolf! She brought one of them here! Humans are the stupidest things!"

Edward ran with Garrett toward Bella and when he took in her expression, pulled her and Sarah close. "Hey, now, you did what you had to do. You saved them. You're a wonderful mother."

Rosalie rolled her eyes. "Only you would fall for a living strawberry milkshake."

Bella's body was rigid. She felt more like stone than the vampires did.

Quietly, Bella said, "I made choices with the information I had. Did I know something was wrong concerning Jacob? Yes. I made a decision to get back to my father in order to get help for Jacob. I didn't know about the wolf situation.

"I'm just a human being. I don't have super strength and feel like a piece of marble. I can be ripped into a million pieces and nothing will put me together again. What good would I be to Sarah and Jason then? I wouldn't. All I have is my limited intelligence as you pointed out. I used that and prayer and hoped for some luck to try and get help.

"Want to switch and live a day in my shoes? Fine. Do it! You have to take the fragility and limited abilities that go along with my everyday life. I get the power, superior attitude and lack of compassion that you just demonstrated."

Rosalie just watched her, mouth wide open.

Garrett whispered, "Damn, that little lady has balls!"

"Right now, I'll be taking the children and Seth to wherever Esme tells us to go and fix breakfast," Bella said, her face firm. She moved away from Edward. Her chin was held up high. "Can we go?"

"Certainly," Esme said. She gave Bella's shoulder a squeeze. "I'm proud of you, sweetheart."

Edward could only smile at the praise Esme bestowed on Bella.

"Apologize, Rose!" Emmett, the normally jolly one, stated. His face was thunderous and it made Bella shiver.

Seth picked Jason up, holding him close to protect him.

Rosalie looked at him and turned to Bella. "I'm sorry."

It _almost_ sounded sincere.

Emmett clapped his hands together and hugged a shocked Bella. "I've been wanting to do this since the first time we met! I've been taking good care of the kids for you! They call me Uncle Emmie. Seriously, girl, you need a big brother looking after you and my little goofballs. Jason, let's show your mom and the kid here the toys I got for you and Sarah!"

Who was this man? One moment he was frightening and the next moment he was charming.

Emmett then exclaimed, "Alice! We need to take you to Alice!"

XXXXXX

The main house was mostly windows overlooking the ocean. One whole wall was glass and the light just bounced over the neutral and pastel furniture, making the vampires milling around the property sparkle brilliantly.

"I need sunglasses," Seth complained, as Bella handed him plates loaded with food for the children sitting at the kitchen table.

Bella grinned. "It _is_ bright."

"I mean for the vamps! They look like somebody poured Elmer's glue on them and rolled them in glitter."

Bella laughed hard. Emmett laughed even harder.

He patted Seth on the back gently. "Garrett told me you were a nice kid! Welcome to the family!"

"We need a pet," Garrett added. "I like puppies."

Seth rolled his eyes and went to grab more plates of food. They were brimming with steaming eggs and bacon. One plate was piled high with slices of buttered toast. Bella was feeding an army of four. Emmett and Garrett were sniffing the air and making comical expressions of disgust which made the children dissolve into giggles.

Bella was filling glasses with juice when she heard a high-pitched squeal, making her looked out the window near the sink to discover the cause of the commotion. Edward was at the water's edge, his toes were in the water and he was glowing. She couldn't help but be drawn up in his beauty, until the shimmering strawberry blonde, wearing a barely-there bikini, ran squealing down the beach. She leapt onto Edward, her lips meeting his.

The cup Bella held crashed into the sink, shattering into pieces.

"Princess Isabella? Are you all right?" Garrett asked worriedly.

Bella closed her eyes from the sight before her and steadied her nerves. "Just tired. More coffee's needed."

It occurred to her that Garrett had let out a growl when he looked out toward the beach. Perhaps she was his ex. She found the whole situation frankly ridiculous.

_Why was she acting like this?_

Bella had no idea, but she didn't like it—one bit. She needed her children, not to harbor some bizarre attraction to an undead teenager who'd been around since cars were called horseless carriages.

"Bella?" the dark-haired girl, dressed in lemon, timidly asked. She was Billy the Kid's wife, Alice.

Her heart racing, Bella gripped the counter behind her.

The girl exclaimed, "No, Bella! Please! I would _never_ hurt you!"

Seth barked, "You're that Jasper-guy's lady? He was eating me, along with the gay guy in the scarf."

He pointed at the scars on his neck.

"Carlisle as the gay guy with the scarf! I love it! Can I see the formerly good doctor's love bites?" Emmett lumbered over to him and tried to look, causing Seth to growl.

Jason clapped. "Can I be a puppy, too?"

"Eat, baby," Bella instructed. She certainly hoped his childish make-believe wouldn't become an adult reality.

Clasping his neck, Seth glared at Emmett. "No offense, big guy. I really don't want any of you near me."

"You stink, kid! Trust me when I say I have no desire to put something that stinks as bad as you in my mouth." Emmett looked at Seth's wounds. "Damn, those bites aren't even normal! Alice, it was like they went rabid."

Alice crumpled into a chair and her face was forlorn. Bella instantly felt pity for the poor girl. Without thought, Bella went and wrapped her arms around her in comfort.

"Did you know about the blood? I heard about your visions."

Alice looked at her in confusion. "I've been missing so much. There are black spots where visions should be. I was fairly certain that the Volturi had some new talents to block me, and to be the reason for Jasper, Carlisle, and Edward's drastic change in personality."

"I don't know about the missing visions, but it's the blood of the tribe that caused them to act like assholes. It's a drug."

Alice smiled widely and stared at a wall, her eyes glassy. All of a sudden she pulled Bella into a hug, and cried out in joy, "You brilliant girl! I need to talk to Esme! I always knew you'd be my favorite sister!"

She bounded out of the room and Bella watched in wonder. _Sister? Where did that_ _come from?_

Edward ran in from the back door. "Bella? Are you all right?"

"Your timing is impeccable, Teen Angel. Worry for our dear Princess Isabella was premature. She and Alice are going to be the best of friends as the prophecy foretold," Garrett explained, frowning.

Emmett looked angry. "How's Tanya, Ed? She still smells like Windex. You reek of it."

Bella felt the heat from Edward's eyes on her as she twisted the dishrag tightly around her fingers. She'd had about enough and her appetite was gone.

"Seth, I really need a shower. Could you watch the children for me, please?" Bella gave Seth a tiny grin. "My loves, be good for Seth. I'll be out in a little while."

"You need to eat," Edward directed, trying to take her hand. "And we need to talk."

"I'm not hungry and not talkative." Bella wouldn't look at him and rushed out of the room.

Even though she was married and a hypocrite, Bella owned up to the fact that she was jealous when it came to Edward Cullen. What a mess!

XXXXXX

_The Discovery of Witches_ sat in Bella's lap, her eyes dancing over the words. No sparkling virgin vampires, just a dashing Matthew and a heroine with powers of her own. Bella wished that it was her story and not this mess she found herself embroiled in.

"Candy Land!" Emmett crowed, on the floor with Sarah and Jason. He was really a giant child with a gentle spirit.

A group of them were sitting on the side porch. Seth was dozing in a chair and Victoria sat next to Bella on the wicker porch swing. They were swinging back and forth.

"Are we reading about the handsomest vampire in literature or pouting about an idiot and a trampy siren?" Victoria asked with a snort.

Bella's head whipped toward Victoria, as Sarah asked, "What's a trampy?"

Emmett laughed hysterically and then turned to Jason, who was randomly making his gingerbread man dance on the board. "I saw that, you adorable little cheater!"

Rosalie walked out, clutching a margarita. She took a deep breath and held it out to Bella. "Peace offering."

"Poisoned?" Bella asked, her eyebrow raised.

"Touché." Rosalie looked sheepish. "Alice and Esme talked to me. I was jealous of you. Your children are lovely and I've always wanted to be a mother. I was having too much fun pretending."

The look of sadness on Rosalie's face was all it took for Bella to forgive her. She took the drink. "Thank you. They need another player."

Rosalie looked down at Emmett and the children. "Are you sure?"

"They'd love it," Bella replied.

"Forget Garrett's _Princess_ Isabella—I'll call you _Saint_ Bella." Victoria swung them faster.

"I'll call you a pain in my ass!" Bella retorted, enjoying the levity. "Don't spill my drink!"

There was a whistle and a fisherman sweater smelling of pine needles hit Bella in the head. Alice trilled, "Put that on, take your beverage and get some clarity from the sea breeze!"

"What did you see?" Bella's eyes narrowed.

"Ask me no questions and I shall tell you no lies." Alice grinned. "It's all good."

Bella stood up and stretched. "Fine, it's only because I like looking at the stars."

Minutes later, Bella was walking on the beach, the cool sand between her toes. How different this place was then the one where Jacob had taken them. There was a serenity here which lulled Bella into a feeling of ease. The sweater smelled like Edward, Bella realized. Alice was a troublemaker.

"Bella?"

_Edward_.

Serenity gone.

"I'm having some alone time here, Edward."

"Bella, I need to talk to you about Tanya." His hands gripped her waist.

She shook her head. The supermodel vampire? No.

"It's cool. You have a smoking hot girlfriend. I have a homicidal husband, myself. You and I had a moment. Stress can make people and vampires act like hormonal teenagers. I need to drink more. Buh-bye!"

She took a swig of her margarita.

Edward pulled it out of her hand and threw it into the ocean. "Edward!"

He pulled her close, kissing Bella with all he had.

When he pulled away, Bella breathlessly squeaked, "I'm married."

"He tried to kill you and the children. I think divorce is unnecessary, because I'm going to kill him."

"No, I am. I need to stop Jacob." She gripped his shoulders. "What about Tanya?"

"She's desperate but I'm only interested in you." Edward stroked her cheek

Eyes wild, Bella shook her head. "This is nuts! I barely know you and I hated you at first."

"We're mates." His forehead rested on hers.

"That's weird." She sighed, closing her eyes. "You're basically dead and I'm alive and breathing."

"Yes, it's weird." Edward moved away slightly and kissed her nose. "Strangely perfect, I think."

"What do you want me to do with all this information?"

He looked into her eyes. "Kiss me."

So she did.

Their lips mashed together as the waves hit the sand. Bella clutched his shirt feverishly, the sea breeze whipping through her hair. Her body was feeling pure bliss. The children were safe and she was feeling something close to happiness, as Edward's mouth kissed harder, his hand rubbing her back.

Only bliss had a habit of making one careless.

As the couple kissed and caressed, four sets of red eyes were watching.


	10. Chapter 10

**AN: First, thank you mauigirl60 for making this chapter make sense!**

**Thank you all for reading this tale.**

**Enjoy!**

Chapter 10

Edward pulled away from Bella's mouth with a whispered, "Fuck!"

He landed face first in the sand. Bella watched in horror as he trembled and twitched. Quickly kneeling down next to him, she gathered Edward into her arms and stroked his back. She started screaming, "Esme! Garrett!"

It was like watching the world go by in slow motion. A young girl and boy approached her, followed by the feral looking Carlisle and Jasper. Bella was certain the children were just barely in their teens, but their red eyes signaled their inhuman nature. The young girl's hair was the color of corn silk and braided into plaits. A Hello Kitty t-shirt peeked out of her black robe.

The boy wore a similar robe, but his hair was darker in color than the girl's. His fingers were laced with hers. It appeared to Bella that the boy was very tired.

"Why isn't the woman on the ground?" the girl asked. She regarded Bella as if she were a scientist doing a research project on a new species of insect.

Carlisle glanced at her. "It seems the young lady is a shield of some sort. Edward can't read her mind."

The boy asked with a chuckle, "Was he trying to read her mind with his tongue down her throat?"

"Alec!" Jane hissed and, at her admonishment, he threw a hand over his mouth.

Bella's emotions were going haywire. She felt fear. That wasn't a shocker, but it was mixed with pity for those eternally motherless children.

Jasper shouted out in annoyance, "Darlin', you're an emotional roller coaster! Let's just snap her neck!"

"She has nice eyes," Alec said quietly. "She looks like my mama, Janie."

"You ate the last woman who looked like your mother, Alec." Jane squeezed his hand.

"It was an accident," he said with a pout.

Bella felt disgusted. She focused her attention on Edward, who was still groaning on the sand. Where was Garrett? She tried to distract the child-like demonic duo, who were with Carlisle and Jasper.

"How old are you?" she asked.

Jane sighed. "Decades."

"No. When were you changed?"

The doll-like vampire frowned. "Thirteen."

Her boy's face mirrored hers. "Fourteen."

"Are you brother and sister?"

"Mates," Alec grinned, kissing her palm. It was a demented Romeo and Juliet starring child vampires.

Carlisle clapped his hands together. "Young lady, enough with the questions! Aro is quite desperate to meet you. He has some tests to try and figure you out."

He came over and tapped her nose. Edward started twitching as Jane shocked him again before he could push Carlisle away. He let out a garbled, "No!"

"I'm sure Aro will let you hold her hand during the experiments, son." Carlisle's smile was sickening. "A vampire falling in love with a human. It's almost inconceivable."

"Not at all, husband. I think it's lovely and romantic," Esme stated, coming up behind Bella and Edward. Edward clutched Bella's hand. "How exactly did you find us, Carlisle? Not that you haven't been missed, but a head's up would have been lovely. Em could have dusted your study."

"Esme, my love, are you going to return with me to Volturi?" He leered at her.

"No, darling, I believe we'll be detoxing you and our dear Jasper. You've been very bad boys." She shook her head at him in disappointment. "Wolves' blood? Really? How silly!"

"Don't knock it, darling," he retorted.

Esme frowned. "It's disgraceful and you're better than that. You can come willingly or we can make you stop."

Emmett came up to Bella, as Carlisle and Esme continued bickering. "Hey little cutie, how ya doing?"

He was surrounded by Garrett, James, Laurent and a mysterious woman. She was lovely with her honey hair pulled into a thick braid. The woman looked more like a college coed in her t-shirt and khaki shorts than a blood thirsty vampire. Then, Bella noticed a wolf standing behind them with his dark brown fur.

"Seth, get out of here! It's not safe!" Bella glanced at him, filled with worry. She couldn't help noticing the hungry looks he was getting from Jasper and Carlisle. "You need to watch Sarah and Jason!"

"A group went out hunting, but we have guards for the kiddos," Garrett attempted to reassure her. "We left them with Al—"

"These two?" Out of nowhere, a huge, hulking dark-haired man walked across the sand. He held up a struggling Alice in one hand and Tanya's head in the other. He glanced at the head, his fingers twisted in her strawberry blond tendrils. "She was a pretty thing, a good lay supposedly, but you can't ever trust a traitor like this lady. Come take your wife, Jasper. She's a kicky thing."

As Jasper took Alice from the man, the blond version of the other hulking man appeared, Sarah and Jason wriggling under his armpits. "Felix, love, these kids reek! Couldn't we have just locked them in a bedroom?"

Bella jumped up and ran toward the blond man, her fists out and ready to fight. Though he could swat her as easily as a fly, she didn't care. Her one and only desire was to get to the children.

Garrett rushed to her and pulled her back. "Honey, he'll kill you!"

"Let them go, you stupid fuck!" Bella screamed, trying to get out of Garrett's arms.

Edward stumbled up from the ground as a weeping woman shocked Jane, who was moaning on the ground, Alec quickly following. He took Bella away from Garrett. "Kate needs you."

From the corner of her eye, Bella saw Garrett pull the woman who was named Kate to him. All of a sudden, Bella had an idea. She yelled, "Kate, the big blond!"

It was as if Bella could see the electrical current transfer from Kate and onto the man. Bella hissed at Edward, "Get them!"

Edward was faster than she was and headed to the kids. Bella ran toward Felix; she needed to distract him just for a moment, so Edward or one of the others could get to Sarah and Matt. Felix dropped the head and screamed in anguish, "Demetri!"

"I think your boyfriend will be okay. Just a little shocked." Bella tried to keep a brave face on. The look he gave Bella as she approached was murderous. He would surely kill her.

"Aro will survive without your visit, lady. You smell delicious." He rushed at her and Bella skidded into the sand. Perhaps it was a bit of luck or divine intervention, but she slid between his running legs. James and Laurent pounced. Working together, they started ripping Felix to shreds. Garrett and Seth finished up Demetri, who was still weak from the shocks that Kate hit them with.

Then, all hell broke loose. Bella barely heard the screams as she ran toward Sarah and Jason. They were bawling in Edward's arms, all snotty-nosed and pink streaked cheeks. The droplets from their eyes were soaking his shirt.

"My babies," Bella whimpered, as she took them while the chaos went on around them. "It's okay. Mama's here. It's okay."

She repeated the words, over and over, like a religious chant. Edward held them all, rocking slowly.

Jasper's leg flew over their heads. Alice was rabid in her ire, tearing him limb from limb with Emmett's help and occasional bad jokes. He chuckled and sang, "The leg bone is no longer connected to the pelvis bone!"

Esme was following suit with her mate. It was as if all her frustrations were coming out. Her screams came from rage and heartbreak when he ripped off her finger. She paid him back with the loss of an ear.

When all was said and done, Carlisle was just a torso and head which lay on the sand complaining, as the waves hit him. Jasper was over near a rock, begging Alice to piece him back together like Humpty Dumpty. Alec and Jane were still being shocked by Kate like her personal stress balls.

Garrett picked up Carlisle's arm and stuck it in a pile along with Jasper's assorted body parts. "These going in?"

He motioned toward the bonfire. Felix and Demetri lit up the night sky. Bella watched dispassionately. The children were curled up sleeping on her. They refused to leave her side and go back with Seth to the main house.

"Do it!" Carlisle screamed.

"Must you be so dramatic, Carlisle?" Esme sighed and glanced at Alice, who hovered by the furious Jasper. "Darling Ali, can you see?"

Alice gave a tiny smile. "It should work."

She smiled at her daughter and patted Carlisle's head, as his mouth tried to snap on her hand. "Drying out is so hard, love. I'll try to make it as relaxing as possible."

Emmett sat with his head cocked, watching Jane and Alec. "What should we do with the Children of the Corn?"

"I guess add them to the fire," James suggested.

Alec turned and looked at Bella with sorrowful eyes. He stared and whispered, "Mother."

It broke her heart. Bella murmured, "No. They need this place."

Then, Alice's face went blank. She shook her head with a cheery grin. Going over to Alec and Jane, Alice knelt beside them. "Will you be good?"

Jane moaned, "Yes! We promise!"

They could only hope that whatever Alice had seen was the truth.

XXXXXX

The children were snuggled up into Bella's bed, as she stood at the window, looking out at the rising sun. It was the dawning of a new day, she could only hope as she tightened her robe. The chilly morning air gave her goose bumps.

There was one thing she was positively certain of.

"I fucking hate the beach," she muttered, looking at the glittering sand.

"I'm somewhat fond of it," Edward whispered behind her.

Bella arched an eyebrow. "Yippee for you."

"It was romantic last night."

"Yes, because almost dying again and having the children terrorized was the most swoon-worthy moment of my life. I'm sure there's a classic romantic movie starring Audrey Hepburn and Cary Grant with that plot."

He wrapped his arms around her waist. "I was talking about the beginning."

"That part was nice, but it kind of went downhill from there." She looked down at his fingers interlocked on her stomach. "You're awfully touchy-feely this morning."

"I guess almost losing your soft skin and beautiful blush would do that to a man." He kissed her head.

There was a slight breeze coming in from the window. Bella glanced at her sleeping children all buried in sheets and blankets. Sarah was restless. Her tossing and turning was a clear indication that last night's terror was still on her mind. Jason snored quietly, as he clutched a bear that Rosalie had gotten for him. Bella looked down at Edward's hands and rubbed the tops of them. "I'm sorry about your friend."

"Who?"

"Tanya."

Edward grew grim. "Don't be. She's been spying for Aro Volturi since I went to Italy. I don't know how she got around Alice's visions."

"You heard all that from listening to the scary Cabbage Patch Kids?"

He tapped the side of my head. "Those two have busy brains. You just have to weed through Jane's Hello Kitty obsession and Alec wanting you to be his new mommy."

"I feel sorry for them. They were just young teenagers. I bet Jane was still playing with dolls."

Edward just smiled. Jane was clutching one of Sarah's dolls at that very moment.

"How did you get wrapped up with those monsters? Drinking wolves' blood?" She couldn't help but be curious. He didn't seem the type to get addicted or be a part of those evil-doers.

"Carlisle heard that the Volturi were targeting certain villages in Europe to be eradicated. You would be surprised how easy it was for them to cover the carnage with flash floods and forest fires. Carlisle was convinced we could get them to stop. It was a fool's errand."

Bella's mind imagined screaming people being pulled from their homes by red-eyed vampires, as the flames of their homes made the night sky glow orange. Her body trembled as she envisioned that horrible Felix sinking his teeth into a neck of a child.

"Why in the world would they do that? Scaring the populace for giggles?"

Edward frowned. "They were villages of wolves. Aro knew he could control wayward vampires with their blood and he needed to make sure that the prophecy never came to light. He has whole communities in the dungeons of his estate."

"Damn." Bella thought about Jacob and the ritual. She'd always hoped it was just that the band of wolves were going insane. "It's real then. The ritual."

"Somewhat. It won't make Jacob become the chief. All it does is give them more power to phase at will and make them more bloodthirsty." Edward kissed Bella's shoulder. "The majority of wolves are like Seth. They find the change to be a curse and would prefer to live their lives remaining simple and human. The ones that want the power are few."

Relaxing into his embrace, Bella asked, "Then why did _you_ drink the blood?"

"We were tricked. They gave us goblets of animal blood as a gesture of goodwill. The part that was left out was that the animals were the shape shifters. It's highly addictive, making your worst traits emerge. The headaches when detoxing are legitimately the worst pain one could ever imagine." His face twisted up at the memory.

The screams from the basement where Carlisle and Jasper were drying out were finally quieting down, their limbs in plastic bags.

"This whole thing is madness! I would love to take just a simple vacation in the mountains in a cabin. The kids can play by a lake and blow bubbles into the sky. Absolutely no beaches anywhere!" Bella said with a wistful sigh.

Edward turned her toward him. "I will take you all there after this is over. There will be no Volturi and absolutely no homicidal wolves to worry about."

He kissed her, hoping that she would believe his promise. Her fingers twisted in his hair. She whispered, "You like distracting me with kissing, you perv."

"You love it. What does that say about you?" he whispered back, his lips placing a kiss on her ear.

"I'm a pervert too. I guess you missed the memo," she joked.

He laughed loudly.

"Mommy?" Sarah sat up and rubbed her eyes. "Can I have some water?"

Bella and Edward jumped apart. She gave him a little grin and went over to her daughter, placing a kiss on her head. "Sure thing, baby cakes."

"I can get it," Edward offered.

"No. Watch them for me, just in case something else comes out of the shadows." She squeezed his hand. "I could feel you watching over us last night, you silly stalker. I know you can obsessively watch things. Keep them safe while I'm in the kitchen."

"What about you?" He looked nervous.

"Do you hear any scary brain whisperings?"

"No." He still worried. "But—"

"There will be plenty of our undead buddies wandering about. It's good." She pecked his lips and headed out toward the kitchen.

The staircase was lit by a small circular window where the sun peeked through. Bella shivered a little at the way the shadows hit the walls.

She was about to reach the bottom, when a little blond head peeked around the corner. "Hey, Miss Bella."

Alec looked at her awkwardly. He wore an old Batman t-shirt and sweatpants. A handsome boy, with skinny limbs and bare feet, he looked like he should be skateboarding on a sidewalk with his buddies, not creeping about the large house. He held out a muffin. "I was bringing this for you."

She took it and gave him a big smile. "Thank you, Alec. I was getting Sarah some water."

He looked at her sadly. "Your kids seem nice."

"They are. You'd like them and I bet Jason would love the bat on your shirt." She patted his arm. "Come keep me company. I need some coffee."

Alec's face brightened and he followed her like an eager puppy. She smiled at him as she grabbed the coffee container. "Where's Jane?"

"Hiding in the library, reading _Anne of Green Gables_. She says she won't leave until she's done reading all of them." He played with the edges of a placemat. Bella couldn't help grinning at the thought of stern Jane lost in the adventures of Anne Shirley. Alec continued, "I'm bored."

"You can come with the kids and me to play on the beach after breakfast," Bella suggested and was happy to be rewarded with another genuine smile. Her own smile became a frown, as her finger was cut by the sharp edge of the can of coffee. "Damn it!"

The blood pulled to the surface and Alec pounced. His teeth ripped into her neck, as he cried sadly, "Mother!"

The pain ripped through Bella as she struggled to pull him off. She would have better luck moving a brick wall.

Then, Alec was thrown across the room, hitting the wall. She was now cradled in Edward's arms. Garrett's hands were wrapped around Alec's neck, the boy's mouth dripping with Bella's blood. Alec whimpered, "Bella, I'm sorry!"

Garrett went to twist Alec's head like a bottle cap when Bella managed to spit out, "No! It was an accident!"

"My love!" Edward cried out.

She grimaced at the pain. "Please! Don't! He needs a moth—"

Her energy was waning, as the pain increased.

She started hearing tidbits of conversation.

"—an accident. Take him to be with Jane."

"I don't want to hurt her!"

"It's too late for that! Man up or I'll do it!"

Then, something was biting her skin. It felt like knives ripping into her. She wailed at the pain.

"I'm sorry, honey! I love you!"

_Bite! _

"I love you!"

_Bite! _

"I love you!"

She screamed.


	11. Chapter 11

**AN: Thank you for reading! It really makes me happy.**

**Mauigirl60 is wonderful! She makes my stories shine.**

**A quick announcement, the Twific Fandom Awards nominations start tomorrow! Check out the blog and nominate your favorites. (It doesn't have to be me, because this fandom is full of shining stars that deserve recognition for their hard work!) twificfandomawards . blogspot .com**

**Enjoy!**

Chapter 11

There was something on Bella's nose.

It felt itchy and huge, and she didn't like it one bit.

After the constant burning, which had made her feel like she'd end up a pile of dark ash on the pale wood of Esme's floors, an itchy nose shouldn't have been a concern, but it was. Bella was irrationally pissed off at whatever was causing her discomfort.

She started swatting at her nose at the same time her eyes opened, revealing Edward's face staring down at her. She swatted him and he flew backward.

"Ugh!" he grunted, as he hit the wall.

_What the hell!_ she thought.

She sat up awkwardly and was flooded with floral smells; the light coming in from the wall of windows was too bright. The large room was unfamiliar. There was a bookcase filled with CDs and records. A piano sat in a corner, its black lacquer gleaming. There was also a guitar resting on a couch.

Esme gently suggested, "Easy, sweet girl. It's just a dust particle."

_Weird!_

"Where am I?"

"My room," Edward said, rubbing his head as he stood back up. He couldn't stop staring at the woman he loved. The magnetic pull was still between them, but now it was infinitely more intense. The others could see how her beauty had magnified, from her now-buoyant chestnut hair to her lips which were now the color of pink petunias. Edward just saw his Bella, who was as lovely to him now as she was when she was human.

"Perv!" she announced with a grin. All of a sudden, Bella clutched her throat. It felt like sandpaper and her stomach let out a growl. She was famished. "I need some breakfast. Did I sleep in? Did the kids get breakfast?"

"Sarah and Jason are with Rose," Edward said gently. "What do you remember, love?"

Bella stood up on wobbly legs. She felt like a newborn foal. "Weird dreams about being in a fire. Not much else. The twin terrors needing mothering. Umm. . . Hey! We made out twice, so chill out on the love thing."

That was until she really looked at Edward. Her body immediately became heated. Bella wanted to strip him naked and mount him in front of witnesses. She had no shame.

Edward immediately noticed her unbuttoning her top and starting to stalk toward him. He really needed to touch her and murmured, "I bet I can make you call me 'love', my Bella."

"Simmer down, lover boy!" Alice stepped between them, as Edward went to unzip his jeans. "Bella, you need to feed."

Bella stopped and her focus switched immediately. "I'm starved! I don't really want eggs, but I think I really want meat! And, Alice—I'm not a horse you have to strap a feed bag on! You can say 'eat' instead!"

To say that Bella was all over the place would be a big understatement.

She noticed Garrett and James standing in the corner. "Were you two watching me sleep, too? I thought Edward was the only creeper who did that?"

A vision of a naked Edward came into her head; she flew toward him and pushed him against a dresser, the wood cracking and splintering from the force. Bella licked his nose. "Get naked, kid! I'll make you a man!"

Garrett was cracking up. "This is awesome, but I like my porn without Edward's floundering!"

Bella turned to him and hissed.

"Whoa, tiger!" James started walking toward her, his hands held up in a submissive manner. "You really need to get something to eat. We should head to the forest now."

"The kids would love a picnic and—" she began saying, as Esme shook her head.

"Not yet, darling," Esme said.

Alice said quietly, her eyes in a faraway gaze, "It should be okay to see them again in a week."

"What? Wasn't it bad enough that the vampire druggies kept me from my babies?"

Bella looked at Alice as if she were insane. Then it dawned on her.

"Which one of you assholes made me into a monster?"

"Love, it was me and—" Edward began, as she stalked toward him. He smiled as she took his hand. He thought, _Of course, she understands_!

Bella ripped off his right arm. Instead of dropping it, she used it to whack him on his head.

"What the hell is wrong with you! Couldn't you have waited? They need me! Oh, God! Are they scared? Jay needs me to read stories to him! You stupid, stupid man!"

A white-hot rage filled Bella. They were keeping her from her children and it was all Edward's fault.

Esme cried, "Stop, Bella! The children are having a good time with Emmett and Rose! They're safe!"

"Until Edward eats them!" Bella screamed. Fear and anger were radiating off her twitching body.

"He was going to kill you! Alec was!" Edward cried, as the others tried to pull Bella away.

She stopped and dropped his arm. Her mind was a jumble and it frightened her.

"That poor baby! I'm sure it was an accident." She sniffed and venom pooled in her eyes, causing Bella to scream. "That hurts!"

"So does my armless stump," Edward complained.

"Sorry," Bella muttered and slunk over. She kissed his stump. "There. All better."

He motioned to his arm that Esme was holding. "Making it all better is reattaching it! Mom?"

"Should I help stick it back on?" Bella asked, wrinkling her nose. She had no clue how to accomplish that.

"No, we've got it," Alice stated.

The rage overcame Bella once more. "Did you know that Alec was going to bite me? Keep me away from my children?"

She was grabbed by Garrett and James. It was hard to keep hold of her. Bella thrashed like an agitated shark.

"No! It was an accident! I can't see everything! Please believe me!" Alice pleaded.

Bella stopped thrashing and she smiled. "Okay."

"Girl, you're giving me whiplash!" Garrett continued laughing and threw an arm around her shoulder. "Let me teach you how to suck the blood out of unsuspecting wildlife."

"That is so gross." Bella was already disgusted.

"I agree! Humans are much tastier!" Garrett exclaimed and started laughing at Bella's nauseated expression. Edward growled. "Chill out, Ed! You can't bang her until you get fixed up."

"Let's do that first!" Bella chortled. "No! Please let me see my babies!"

"One week, cutie! Ali will give you the okay then." She was thrown over Garrett's shoulder. Bella started hitting his back. He slapped her bottom, making Edward roar. "Really? Ed, calm down! James, I need back-up with this crazed spitfire."

Bella looked at Edward, watching his arm being reattached and felt an overwhelming joy.

_Was this love?_

All she really knew was that she wanted every part of him.

XXXXXX

"Were you always a messy eater?" Garrett asked from the log he was sitting on. "I can imagine when you were a child that you were usually covered in peanut butter, tomato sauce, some cookie crumbs—"

Bella growled from where her face was pressed into the doe's belly. Blood was everywhere.

They were in a forest located in the middle of the island, surrounded by dark leaves and wispy ferns. The noises of the fleeing birds above bothered Bella's ears and the smells of the wildlife were maddening. She wanted to gorge on them all.

"You're so cranky now! It's like the worst case of PMS ever, you bloody little minx!" he continued. "It's pretty hot!"

Between slurps, she hissed, "Shut up, fucker!"

He grabbed a tree limb and started scratching his back with it. "Save it for when you deflower Little Ed. Take it easy on him, though. He might cry afterward and pull a Woody Allen."

"What?" Bella looked up with her bloody face, a look that only other vampires would find attractive.

"He will be forever stressing out and asking for critiques about his technique. I don't envy you, sweetheart."

"Do you ever shut up?" Bella wanted more blood. Once she got started, it became less disgusting.

"Nope."

"Are they dead? Alec and Jane?" She felt no ill will toward them. They'd forever be children and that must be horrible.

"I remember you sniffing around the library. The cinnamon and apple smell?" he asked.

"Yes. It was a nice smell."

"It was the teenaged lovers. They've holed up in there. They're scared we're going to kill them," Garrett explained.

"Please don't!"

"That's why they're still alive, because we knew you wouldn't want that. You're a good lady." He poked her deer with a stick. "I think you sucked him dry, you lush!"

Bella gave him the finger. "I want more!"

"Let's get going then, girl! The island was recently replenished with the freshest of livestock!"

They ran through the woods and it was amazing. The air hitting her face made her feel like she was flying through the sky. Bella leaped up and ricocheted off the tree trunks, giggling in glee. In her childhood, she dreamed of flying off the cliffs of La Push and diving into the sea. The cold water hitting her body made her feel more alive than ever before. It was an invigorating fantasy.

She swung from branch to branch like a monkey, as Garrett followed. He called out, "You having fun, kid?"

"I've never been this hap—" Bella almost said _happy_. It rocked her to the core.

Missing the next branch, Bella tumbled down through the vines and leaves. She landed with her feet securely on the ground.

"No," she sniffled. "Sarah and Jason make me happy! How could I have forgotten about them?"

Garrett landed next to her. "Bella, stop being so hard on yourself! You're a newborn. All your thoughts and feelings are cranked up to eleven like in_ Spinal Tap_."

She crouched on the ground. "I love them more than anything."

He rubbed her back. "I know."

She could see their little faces in her head—Sarah, playing with her Barbies on her bed decorated in daisies; Jason, jumping up and down when trying to catch bubbles. What were they going to do now?

"They're going to grow up, live full lives. . . and die! I have to watch them die!" She started clawing at the ground.

"Stop!" He grabbed her tightly. "When they get to be adults, we change them!"

Bella looked at the dirt caked underneath her nails. "They're part wolf like Jake."

"So? It will happen! I promise!" Garrett exclaimed. He meant every word.

"Jake is still alive. We're still married. What should I do about Edward?" She looked up into the tops of the trees where the sun was peeking out. Garrett had become her most trusted advisor.

Garrett pulled her up to stand. "The Big Bad Wolf is a widower, little girl. You're dead."

"Damn, you're right!" she muttered. He squeezed her hand, and she looked at him with a small smile. "I always wanted a big brother."

He started walking with her farther into the woods. "Even one that finds you doable?"

"You're so gross!"

"I _will_ make the perfect big brother, then!" He saw her sniffing the air. "What is it?"

She could smell the hot blood and sweat. "Something delicious!"

Bella ran toward the smell of the liquid which led right up to a magnificent beast.

"Hey, pussycat," she addressed the mountain lion. "You and I are going to be great pals. At least for a few minutes."

Its gold eyes regarded her. His coat was smooth and the hue of caramel taffy. He hissed.

Bella hissed back and sprung onto the lion's back. They started rolling on the ground, his only piercing her clothing and ripping it to shreds. She didn't notice a bit. Instead, she laughed and enjoyed every moment of the fight, right up until she sunk her teeth into his neck to feed. The hot blood coated her throat along with her bare skin.

Edward had caught up to them, his mind filled with worry. It was hard to shake the constant concern for her well-being, even after losing a limb to his love. He skidded to a stop next to Garrett and whispered reverently, "She's so lovely."

"So _bloody _lovely." Garrett flashed him a wicked grin and added, "Literally bloody. Did you bring any Wet Naps? You're probably having a panic attack over the mess."

"Get the hell out of here!" Edward roared and started stalking toward Bella.

Garrett gave a wave. "Be good, kids!"

They didn't even notice that he'd left.

Bella looked up at Edward from her kill. The blood dripped from her chin and onto the soft fur of the mountain lion. Her eyes narrowed. "You planning on sharing my dinner?"

"No, but I'm planning on licking the leftovers off your skin." He pounced and proceeded to kiss her lips which were stained burgundy.

She flipped him onto his back and ripped off his old t-shirt featuring _The Who_. He nipped at her face and started removing the little scraps of fabric stuck to her breasts. He murmured, "That shirt was vintage."

"Get over it!" she demanded, as she bit into his chest. He howled in a mix of both pain and ecstasy. "That was payback for the three days of burning, lover."

"Do it again!" he hissed, sucking her nipple into his mouth and removing the drying red droplets scattered there. His hand began to stroke her hard between her legs.

Bella's scream sent hundreds of squawking parrots into the air.

Pulling away, Bella took Edward's pants and ripped them in half. Without thought, she lowered herself onto him and rocked her body hard. He cried out, "Bella, my love! More! Please!"

They were easily heard back at the main compound. Emmett's laughs were ignored.

Edward flipped Bella over and pumped into her, as the wildlife screeched around them. They bit each other and licked each other's blood-covered skin.

As his fingers twisted in her hair, he begged, "Say it, Bella!"

"I love you!" she yelled as she came.

He continued to pound into her until his own release. He collapsed his weight on her body, his copper head resting on her breasts. "I love you too, Bella."

He crawled up and shifted himself, so her head was close to his. "You made me the happiest man in the world. How was I? I wasn't too rough, was I? You liked the way I bit—"

She sat up on her elbow. "Are you serious?"

"I forgot my nebbish glasses and oversized khakis, but what could I do? My lady is a wildcat and eats them, too."

Bella laughed. "I guess you heard Garrett?"

He pulled her down and kissed her tenderly. "Of course! He's a loudmouth and his brain is even more so."

Bella kissed Edward's neck. "Should we go back?"

"We have no clothes," he pointed out. "I'm sure everybody will love the naked Bella and Edward show."

"Alice didn't see this?"

He snuggled closer. "Probably, but this is getting you back for considering to behead her."

Bella looked at him in concern. "Your arm?"

He stuck a finger into her folds and then another. He moved them slowly. "The fingers seem to be in working order. Why don't we hang out here and keep trying them out?"

Those fingers went faster.

Panting heavily, Bella suggested, "We can fashion clothing out of leaves. Oh, God, Edward!"

Adding in the middle, he moved faster. He moved harder. His teeth bit into her shoulder. "A wicked Adam and Eve."

Bella ceased to register his words. "Edward, oh, love! Edward! Love!"

He knew he could get her to say it.


	12. Chapter 12

**AN: Thanks to all of you reading and mauigirl60 for being a wonderful Beta.**

**Enjoy!**

Chapter 12

The honeymoon was over.

Bella rubbed her eyes. Her body wasn't tired, but her soul was.

She folded a tiny shirt covered in dinosaurs, placing it on the pile. A floral skirt was placed next to it in the next pile. A place for everything and everything in its place.

This is how she kept herself sane and hidden away from Carlisle.

Bella sat on the floor, surrounded by clean laundry. It had been a month since she was turned into a monster like the Cullens, but she was finally feeling human again. Sort of. Her manic energy had turned to possessive worry over the children.

Sarah and Matt reclined on the bed. Big sister was holding her brother tightly and reading him _The Cat in the Hat_.

"Mommy, can we go outside and play?" Sarah questioned.

Bella twisted a pair of shorts so tightly the fabric ripped apart. She dropped it quickly to the ground.

"No. It's not safe." She could hear vampires frolicking in the surf.

"Rosie!" Jason whined.

She grabbed her knees. _Must breathe and calm down. Don't scare them. _ The children reeked. "Do me a favor and stay safe."

"Red-eyed Mommy mean!" Jason yelled.

Sarah grabbed her brother tightly. "Stop, Jay!"

They were right. She felt meaner. In the week without them, it was easy to fall in to relative vampire debauchery with Edward. It felt like she was young again and it reminded her of the first throes of love with Jacob. It was passion at all times; heated touches and intense kisses which ebbed as soon as she saw Sarah and Jason again.

_Their little faces lit up for her immediately as Edward and Emmett held her tightly back in the living room. The television played quietly in the background. The talking bumble bees on the screen were being used to make the situation less stressful, but they weren't working. Bella hissed, "I won't hurt them." _

_Immediately, smiles became frowns upon hearing their mother's words. Sarah quietly asked, "Mommy, are you sick? You sound funny."_

_Jason added, "Scary eyes."_

_"I'm okay!" Bella stilled her movements. "I just need to hug them."_

_Jason clung to Sarah and repeated, "Scary eyes." _

_The sun came out and the windows filled with light. Bella's body sparkled. Sarah's eyes filled with tears. "You're like Mrs. Esme now. Didn't you want to be like us anymore, Mommy?" _

_Bella crashed down to the ground on her knees, venom pouring from her eyes. The pain was nothing compared to the splintering of her no-longer-beating heart. "I love you two! Oh, God! What did I do?" _

_Her mind spun at what had become of her and the children. The happy days when they were babies and Jacob had acted like the boy she fell in love with changed to fear and worry when he'd turned into the monster. It was too easy to let the golden-eyed vampires lull her into laughter and joking—it was a way to avoid the dread of what was to become of them. Now that Bella could see the fear and sadness in the children's faces, she was bereft. Why couldn't this just be a horrible nightmare? _

_Alice and Esme looked at each other. Bella's pain was being amplified through the house from the howling Jasper. Alice nodded once and they went over to the children._

_Esme kneeled down, taking their small hands into her own. _

_"Your mommy loves you so very much. She looks a little different, but the way she feels about you has never changed. Your mommy is your biggest champion. She can just protect you even better now."_

_Esme took Jason's hand, as Alice held Sarah's. They were led over to their mother who hugged both of them tightly._

"Let them go play, Bella." Edward stood in the doorway, his arms crossed.

Emmett popped his head over Edward's shoulder. "Just for a little bit, Bella. I'll keep them on the front lawn near the house, and bring them back before lunch."

Sarah put down the book. "Can we go to the beach?"

"Let's not push our luck, kitten. I'm going to have enough trouble talking your mama into letting you monkeys into the sunshine. Uncle Em does the talking." Emmett turned to Bella and asked, "Please let me have a play date with your kids?"

Edward added, "They'll be safely indoors in time for lunch."

Bella looked at the hopeful faces of the children. They needed to run and they needed to feel fresh air on their faces. "Where's Carlisle?"

She refused to put all her trust in the man who had gleefully terrorized her. It would have been worse if Jasper was out of the basement. Supposedly, it was easier for Carlisle to regain control. The rest of the vampires might be secure in feeling that he wasn't a threat, but Bella would always be aware of everything Carlisle did.

"Talking to Esme in the study," Edward answered.

"Alec and Jane?" she questioned.

The vampire boy had apologized profusely for hurting her and Bella had forgiven him. Around the children, she made the young-looking vampires stay away. She knew any spilt blood would be too tempting around them.

Emmett rolled his eyes. "Taking a walk in the woods."

He was not a fan of the vampire couple.

"If they come back to the house?" she continued, worrying.

Edward reassured, "The kids will come inside."

"Carlisle?"

"He won't come near them," Emmett promised.

Bella closed her eyes. "Okay. Take Seth, though. Jane is frightened of him."

The girl was terrified of the wolf. He made her cower in fear.

The children cheered and ran to Emmett. They didn't stop to hug their mother. Bella looked down at her hands trying to hide her melancholy.

Edward sat next to her. "It will get easier."

He rubbed small circles on her neck.

"They don't want to hug me," she admitted. She dug her nails into her palms. "It really doesn't matter. I'm too scared to. I could break them in half."

He pulled her toward his chest in a hug. "Bella, trust me, you _will_ be able to hug them again. Your control has been impressive."

"Perfect?" She smiled a tiny bit.

"God, no! You ruined my computer! Light touches, woman." Edward's laptop had paid a horrible price when Bella was trying to research Jacob's whereabouts. "You love those kids. They're a part of you. That's what gives you control and makes you strong."

"Thank you," she said quietly. "I don't know what I can ever do to show you my appreciation."

Edward laughed, "I do."

"I'm not having sex with you," Bella stated. He was still ready to go at a moment's notice, but Bella's mind was now fixated on the children's well-being.

"I was going to suggest you let me help fold socks. I enjoy feeling useful to you and the kids." He smiled. "A kiss would be great, too."

Bella leaned over, giving him a quick kiss, and pushing a pile of socks at him. "Make sure they match."

They folded in comfortable silence. Every few minutes, they would glance at each other, smiling. It was at a human pace that they folded small pairs of pants and shirts, just enjoying the companionship.

"No!" Seth screamed from the yard. In a flash, Bella and Edward flew out the window to where chaos awaited them.

Immediately, Bella sought out the location of Sarah and Jason. They stood behind Emmett and Seth, shivering in fear.

"I never should have let them out of my sight," Bella whispered. Edward took hold of her hand silently.

A large band of vampires were standing there, ruby-eyed and rabid. The leader, standing up front, had pale skin and long dark hair. His black velvet cloak swayed in the island breeze. "How delightful for you to join us! Edward has found a beloved mate! This is a joyous occasion!"

Behind him, a dark-haired woman, her face dripping with blood, held the corpse of young Claire. The disappearance of the young wolf girl was now solved. Bella glanced at poor Seth, who was changing swiftly.

The man clapped his hands and let out a wild-eyed giggle. Bella knew instantly that he was clearly insane.

Esme, followed by Carlisle, walked toward the man. "Always with the dramatics, Aro. Go back to Italy. We're living quietly here. There's no need for this little visit."

"Let us kill them and be done with it, brother," sneered a flaxen-haired vampire with a pinched face. It looked as if he'd been sucking lemons.

Bella shifted her eyes toward Emmett. He was putting Jason onto Seth's back, while Sarah clung to Rosalie.

"Caius, no! We need to bring our family back into the fold. They've been confused and led out to the wilderness. Carlisle and young Edward need to return to our important work with the wolves." He tapped his chin. "Eleazar, my dear friend, do tell us the gift of the wolves' mother. Do we need her in Volturi?"

Another man walked over to the insane giggler, looking Bella up and down. He was followed by a tiny woman, whose black hair fell to her waist in ringlets. The man said, "She's a shield, Aro. I would imagine she's quite powerful."

Irina walked slowly up to them. "Why, Eleazar? Carmen, this isn't like you!"

Carmen sneered. "Couldn't you and Kate be more like Tanya? She knew where her priorities lay."

"Her priorities got her killed!" Kate screamed. Her body trembled, as Garrett held her back.

All of a sudden, there was a whoosh as Jane and Alec came out of the woods. Their hands were tightly clasped. Jane looked at Aro in reverence and whispered, "Father."

It was Jane's small smile that chilled Bella to the bone. Bella glanced at the boy and commanded, "Alec, come here!"

Instead, the boy looked lovingly at his mate. She held his face with both her hands and gave him a sweet kiss. "I love you, Alec."

She twisted off his head with a quick snap. His head dropped to the ground next to his body. Jane said in a bored tone, "But I love Father more."

That's when all hell broke loose. Vampires were grabbing one another to bite and pull apart limbs. The vampire that Carmen had taken ripped off Irina's scalp, as her teeth ripped into her skull. Laurent was trying to pull the woman off his love, but Eleazar yanked the head right off him, causing it to fly into the air. The dark dreadlocks flapped around the severed head, as Victoria screamed and went after Eleazar.

Bella and Edward ran toward the children but were beat by Jane, who made Rosalie fall to the ground. She proceeded to rip Rosalie's arms off and grab Sarah.

Emmett yelled to Seth, "Run!"

Seth took off into the woods, with Jason clinging to the wolf's thick fur.

There were screams as Jane ran toward Aro. Bella ran quickly behind her, as other vampires were falling into heaps from both Jane and Kate. Edward landed on the grass, screaming in anguish.

Bella's brain flooded with emotion and fear. She just needed it all to stop. The children were scared and Bella needed to protect them. The view around her became a swirl of colors and all the pain from both Jane and Kate stopped. The vampires all got up slowly.

"Here, Daddy!" Jane had just placed Sarah in Aro's arms, when she realized what was occurring. "What the fuck did you do?"

Bella smiled brightly. "I'm going to kill you, you psychotic middle schooler! However, I need my daughter first."

She rushed toward Aro, who was cradling Sarah to his chest. "Now, Mrs. Black, let's stay calm. We can work this out. My goodness, this child is just divine!"

Caius rolled his eyes, as he sat in a tree regarding the action. "Can we just kill the children now? The wolves are a nuisance and these games are just prolonging my annoyance."

He sniffed the girl's hair with a crazed look in his eyes. "It's a horrific odor, but what's underneath this pretty skin is true nectar."

"Get your face away from her!" Bella growled.

"Calm down, Mama Lion. I have the precious child in my arms and you need to be quiet." He stroked Sarah's hair. The child had passed out from pure fear. He giggled in an unhinged, high-pitched tone. "I do love children! I love to eat them!"

Bella inched closer. The rainbow was still in her eyes, but she noticed that she could move it around in her mind. The color faded away from Kate.

A little closer Bella moved, giving gave Kate a wink.

"She's just a child. Leave my family alone," Bella stated.

Aro scoffed, "I can't, darling! Your family is the key to keeping the wolves in line. The children must die. You can decide if it's fast or slow. I'm an altruistic man."

Eleazar chuckled, making Carlisle hiss in his direction. Carmen and Irina were dead by his feet.

The rest of the vampires were on edge, waiting to make a move.

Bella moved still closer. Aro was in a manic tailspin. He pointed at a vampire with a goatee. "Bring me the boy, Alessandro! That one has the mark of the wolf! He'll be yummy."

Edward hissed behind Bella, "No!"

She hadn't even realized he was so close behind her.

Aro's eyes turned to slits. He was like a snake and dangerous in his lunacy. "I'm starved!"

His teeth chomped down into Sarah's neck.

Bella ran. Her baby was hurt and it was killing her inside. Aro lifted his face from Sarah, her blood streaking his face. His eyes were looking around in wonder. "Why does her blood taste like heaven? Pure ambrosia!"

Bella jumped on him, as Sarah was caught by Edward. "Die!"

Aro was no match for her strength, as she proceeded to rip him to shreds in her anger. Pieces of the lunatic hit the grass of the front lawn. An arm by the front porch, a foot by the driveway, as Bella screamed in a fiery rage.

Esme pulled her away, as the remaining vampires fought behind them. Alice yelled triumphantly as she beheaded Caius in the tree. Kate was shocking various vampires, as Victoria was helping Emmett protect Rosalie. James was ripping off Jane's fingers, one by one.

"Sarah needs you, honey." Esme kissed Bella's hair.

There on the ground was Sarah, held in Edward's arms. Her face was devoid of color and she was trembling.

Bella sank to her knees and took Sarah gently into her arms. "Oh, baby! I couldn't save you. Oh, God, what do I do?"

Edward held onto Bella's arms, his eyes filling with venom.

Carlisle clasped Bella's shoulder. "You must do the unthinkable."


End file.
